


A Stay of Execution

by timelady_queenofhell



Category: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV 2018)
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Cannibalism, Canon-Typical Behavior, Canon-Typical Violence, Dark, Drama, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Gen, Horror, I love Lilith I swear, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Lilith has to hit rock bottom but she will come up stronger and more powerful than ever before, Magical Pregnancy, Nightmares, POV Mary Wardwell | Madam Spellman | Lilith, Physical Abuse, Post Part 3, Pregnancy, Psychological Torture, RIP Adam 2.0 forever in my heart, Rape/Non-con Elements, Violence, Vulnerable Lilith, Witchcraft, fighting to stay alive, tagged cannibalism but no details and is like one mention and one scene
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:14:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 44,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23828179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/timelady_queenofhell/pseuds/timelady_queenofhell
Summary: Lilith POV fic. What happens to her during her stay of execution now she's carrying the son of Satan, is trapped in Hell and Sabrina is on the throne. Lilith must find strength when all of Hell is working against her. This magical pregnancy won't be easy, her time is limited and Lucifer has definitely not forgotten her betrayal.Picking up from Pt3. Canon Divergence: Sabrina chose Hell. Come join me on a dark and angsty journey.Lilith has to hit rock bottom before she can rise up more powerful than ever before.
Comments: 142
Kudos: 106





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hey. I've been sat on this idea for a while, the plot every changing. I've been working on the first few chapters and having had some wine got the courage to start posting.  
> First chapter is a Prologue of sorts, writing the scene where Lucifer is back in his body, with some minor changes.  
> Lilith is my Queen I swear, but I have a thing for drama and vulnerable Lilith. Hope you enjoy.

###  ** Prologue  **

Her heart was beating so rapidly in her chest she could hear it pulsing in her ears. The fire crackled behind her as she faces the window wishing desperately to be anywhere other than here. She chose this seat deliberately with her back to the rest of the room, she wasn’t ready to see him and couldn’t trust her face from betraying her and showing fear on his return. Her breath caught in her chest as she heard him coming from the other room, her eyes widen as a sense of panic washes over her. She had no idea if her plan would work but it was her only option. The one card left to play in their deadly dance. His footsteps were coming closer, her breath held still, the sound of his wet feet slapping against the wooden floor twisted her stomach as he approached.

“You separated me from that buffoon Blackwood.” Lucifer drawled as he entered the room.

“As you requested by liege.” She responded submissively. She wasn’t sure if this was an act or old habits.

“You know what comes next don’t you?” His voice was deep and edged in anger “That’s why you haven’t even bothered to run.”

It was now or never; she had to play this right. She had chosen this path as she knew it was her best chance of survival. She knew what she had to do. Her walls went up as she rolled her eyes and got to her feet. With a steadying breath she turned to face him.

“You kill me for the part I played in overthrowing you yes. Except.” Her eyes looked him up and down, his naked angelic form a reminder of how things between them began. Her tone strong and confident, she had to sell this. “A lot has changed since your little nap in the tub. Blackwood’s gone.” She could see Lucifer’s jaw clenching, the anger boiling just below the surface ready to spill. His muscles tense and his eyes bore deep into her soul, she tried not to let it phase her. “I gave him the mark of Cain which means no one can hurt him. _Not even you_. And in exchange,”

She paused, hesitant to the reaction that was to come.

“He gave me your seed.” She whispered.

“What?”

“A Satanic miracle of miracles.” Her confidence a façade but she needed to show him she was still in control. “I am with child.”

She had barely finished her sentence before he lunged towards her. She panicked backing away but there was no where to go. “Your child. Your child!” she pleaded as her back hit the wall and he pinned her against it. Her fear was evident as her breathing shook and her gaze lowered, not daring to look into his eyes.

He placed a hand over her stomach as the cogs turned in his head. Their faces were inches apart and their breathing laboured; his from anger, hers from fear.

“If what you say is true….” He whispered

There was hope. Hope that this might work. Lilith risked looking up at his face, her eyes wide expectantly.

But then his voice changed, the anger returning. “But **_I_ **already have an Heir. Sabrina.” She had expected him to make this move and knew exactly what card to play next.

Her blue eyes looked straight into his, her voice was soft as she pleaded “You wouldn’t kill your own son, now would you?” it was almost as if she was daring him. She knew his bond with Sabrina was strong and there was only one way to triumph over that – to appeal to his misogynistic arrogance with the temptation of a male heir.

His eyes lowered to her stomach; his hand still placed firmly against it possessively. “Son?” he breathed

Lilith breathed a quiet sigh of relief as she realised her plan was working. “Oh yes” She whispered, and with a glimmer in her eye and a coy smile she continued to fan the flame of his arrogance. “It’s a boy.” She paused. “A mother knows these things.”

Her demeanour was strong and assured, as if to say ‘your move’, despite the fact her insides were churning and her stomach was in knots. The tension between them was palpable. Her heart thumped rapidly in her chest as she was trapped against the wall, waiting for his verdict on her life. Time seemed to have frozen, the moment lasting an eternity as she held her breath and waited.

He suddenly grabbed her upper arms tightly and she took a sharp intake of breath, a flicker of fear flashing in her eyes betraying her, the back of her head hit the wall behind as she looked up at him. “This is not a pardon Lilith.” He leaned in closer, their faces just inches apart, his proximity making her breathing shake “this is merely a stay of execution.”

She forced her face to stay emotionless as their eyes were locked at one another. Yet a sense of relief washed over her and the knots inside loosened slightly. She was a survivor, she would live to fight another day. She knew not to push things further, she needed to focus his attention elsewhere before he changed his mind

“In the meantime,” she whispered, a sense of submission laced in her voice to calm him and appeal to his arrogance “perhaps you could sort out the mess your daughters made in Hell?” She paused, biting the side of her bottom lip as she looked up at him through her thick lashes, flattery and seduction her only weapon. She placed a hand on her stomach “if only for our child’s sake.”

His grip on her arms tightened, his eyes darting over her face clearly torn between anger and arousal. “Very well.” He spat as he loosens his grip. “Let’s summon the infernal court.” His hand lightly traced down the side of her cheek before his fingers grabbed her face forcefully and she inhaled sharply in shock. His fingers squeezed hard on her jaw as he forced her head up to look at him, his nails digging at her skin and she realised she was shaking. A smile twisted at the corners of his mouth. He leans closer, she could feel his breath on her face causing bile to rise in her throat, their noses were touching as he whispered closely “Daddy’s back!”

He pushed her face to the left, throwing it aside as he released his grip on her and disappeared in a swirl of flame. Her face was burning from his touch and she struggled to steady herself. The second he disappeared her walls began to crumble. She leant back against the wood for support, her arms curl around her front as she took deep shaken breaths. She closed her eyes and swallowed down the bile at the back of the throat trying to calm her twisted stomach. She knew she had to follow him to Hell, and quickly, but she needed to compose herself. The relief she had felt was short lived.

She opened her eyes and looked around the room, at the house that had become her home. And for the briefest of times, she was happy here. As her eyes travelled around, memories of Adam flashed in her head. Sitting at the table together as he persuaded her to take a day for herself, lying in front of the fire as he massages and kisses her feet, when she gave him the ring and he kissed her and lifted her up in the air, his love so pure and unconditional. But that wasn’t her life. This wasn’t her home.

She ran a shaken hand over her face and mouth, trying to bring herself back into the present and build her walls back up. She was alive, for now, but she had a feeling Lucifer’s games were only just beginning. She sauntered into the centre of the room taking one last look around her would-be life and then taking a deep breath she disappeared in a swirl of fire down to Hell.


	2. The Return to Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Return to Hell....

When Lucifer had got back to Hell, he had summoned the infernal court so quickly she barely had time to change. She didn’t like wearing her mortal clothes in here. She already felt outcast by the Hordes of Hell, belittled and disrespected, but wearing her regal attire helped to stand her ground against their judgement and abuse. In her floor length gown and long sleeves, she stood dutifully by his side when he addressed the court.

Lucifer hadn’t got the welcome he was expecting from the court, a lot had changed in his absence and the Kings of Hell were very much invested in the challenge that was going on between his daughter and Caliban. She was surprised at their open blasphemy - daring to question his authority after having been captured and locked up by his own witches. She wasn’t surprised though when the Dark Lord snapped the neck of the questioning King, quickly installing fear to recapture the respect of the realm. The King would simply be replaced, by lessor demons wanting to ascend the ranks. But the swift and casual kill had worked in reinstating his authority over the nine circles of Hell. Lucifer and his most loyal - standing strong in the infernal kingdom. 

Sabrina had won the challenge over the Unholy Regalia and was to be coronated as Queen of Hell. Lilith had to suffer the indignity of aiding the young witch to get ready, to dress her and guide her, for a crown that had not long been ripped from her own head. She struggled to keep her anger at bay as she placed the shoes at the blonde’s feet and tightened her corset. “Gird your loins,” Lilith whispered “let nothing touch you, let no man hold power over you.” The irony of her ‘words of wisdom’ to Sabrina echoing in her own head. Lilith had spent a lifetime subservient to men, for broken promises and shattered dreams. And even now, after she had finally broken the shackles, she was back where she started – as Satan’s concubine, her life in his hands, and now a child inside her womb, another male holding power over her.

As Sabrina walked through the Infernal Kingdom at her coronation and with every demon falling at her feet, Lilith struggled not to break. She kept her face cold and stern all the while her insides raged and her stomach churned. When Sabrina reached the top of the stairs Lucifer shoved Lilith aside to take his daughter’s hand, casting her out, reminding her she had no place up there with the Royalty of Hell. She glowered back at him but he only had eyes on his young Queen. Her fists balled tight in anger, so strong that her nails drew blood in her palms. After everything she had done to get that throne and when she finally got it, she was met with ridicule, harassment and insubordination. And yet here she stood and watched as the entire Kingdom of Hell bowed to a _half breed_ as their sovereign. She couldn’t stand it.

Once the coronation was over, Lilith took her chance to leave before she broke. The hallways were empty as she made her way to her quarters, but despite her quiet surroundings she would not let the tears escape. With every step she took her anger was being replaced by sheer devastation and she almost ran in an attempt to hide before she crumbled.

The door slammed shut behind her once she entered her chambers, creating a physical barrier between her and the rest of Hell. She couldn’t hold it back any longer and the tears streamed from her eyes as she fell backwards against the closed wooden door. Her body wracked with sobs as she slumped down the darken wood to a heap on the floor. The anger burnt deep within her so strong it had turned to tears and wailing as a means of escape. She held her head in her hands as she tried to steady her breathing through her sobs. The true reality of her situation finally hitting her.

She was trapped here in Hell, no longer Queen and subservient to the man who had wrecked her entire existence. She had wasted millennia following that fallen angel, loving him and serving him, unwavering and wholeheartedly devoted. She had truly believed his promises, that she was to be lifted up to rule by his side as his equal, promising her exactly what had been denied to her in the garden. She could see beyond the darkness that gradually took hold of him, her loyalty blinding her, and as the darkness took root within herself any misgivings she may have had evaporated. She accepted her punishments as they only came from her failures, made her work harder, to be the Dark Lord’s most faithful.

And then came Sabrina Spellman. She should be grateful, she supposed, for Sabrina had revealed the Dark Lord’s true plans, showing Lilith that her devotion to him had meant nothing. His promises were shattered and the hold Lucifer had over her illuminated bright like a spotlight for her to finally see things clearly. And once she could see that, she couldn’t go back. The blind devotion turned her stomach, the abuse she suffered striking painful chords on her soul. It hurt to be back here. To be back under his control.

As Her sobbing slowed, she took deep breaths to try and calm the nauseous feeling that was building in her throat. Her hand rubbed her neck and rested on her chest to calm her but her stomach continued to churn, she swallowed but the movement of her throat caused her to gag. She pushed herself quickly to her feet scrambling as she ran to her bathroom, her hand instinctively over her mouth. Her knees cracked against the cold tiles as she fell to the ground, her hand gripping the edge of the toilet seat as her stomach contracted painfully forcing its contents up and out her throat. Her free hand tried to gather her long brunette curls to one side out of the line of fire. Her upper body hunched over the bowl, the force of her heaving making her muscles ache and her eyes water. The acidity scorching her throat.

When her stomach had no more to give and her heaves dried out, she managed to take a steadying breath. With a final spit into the porcelain she closed the lid and sat back on her heels placing her hands on her swirling stomach and looked down at it. She knew what she had done was necessary, her only option of survival, but that didn’t make this bitter pill any easier to swallow.

Her night with Blackwood was a blur. Everything happened so fast; hiding at the cottage, Blackwood/Lucifer discovering her, her head still bruised and scabbed from the ripped hairs that were torn when he had dragged her harshly across the room. Her body coursed with fear and adrenaline that night when she had put Lucifer to sleep and woke only Blackwood. Her mind focussed solely on her survival plan she barely registered the event itself. What pained her the most isn’t what she had done but what was to come. Her stomach was still flat but she felt different. A part of Lucifer dwelled within her body, festering inside her tiny frame like a parasite and it disgusted her. She could already feel the change to her body, the constant nausea and headaches a permanent reminder Satan’s son was growing inside. Her ties to him now physical as well as emotional. But it was either this or execution, and she’d be damned if she was giving up now – she was not going to give him the satisfaction of her death.

She heard the door to her chambers bang open snapping her away from her thoughts.

“Damn it Lilith! Where are you?”

The sound of Lucifer’s voice boomed in the adjoining room twisted her stomach threatening her nausea to return. She jumped to her feet and quickly wiped away the tear tracks from her face, having only seconds to prepare before he burst into her bathroom.

“There you are Lilith.” Lucifer exasperated, he stood in the doorway for a moment before he approached her “You shouldn’t have left! I told you, you are to stay with the Queen at all times.”

She took a breath to steady herself and rebuild her walls. “My apologies my Lord.” She replied as she inclined her head in a half bow.

“Well? Why did you abandon your post at Sabrina’s side?” His eyebrows furrowed in clear annoyance at her disobedience.

“I’m sorry. I was briefly taken unwell.” One hand was tightly placed across her middle to quell her nausea.

If he picked up on her hand placement or the reason for her sickness, he didn’t say anything. He let out a sharp exhale through his nose in a huff.

“You don’t look unwell.” He said as his eyes travelled up and down her slowly “Well don’t let it happen again.” He snapped “Your place is by Sabrina’s side, to guide her as Queen, you are **not** to leave it.”

“As you wish my liege.”

“You are to go to her now and assist in undressing. The Coronation is over and she would like to retire for the evening.”

“Of course. At once my Lord.” Lilith went to leave the bathroom. Lucifer did not move to let her freely pass forcing her to come into close proximity to him. He stood tall, towering over her with intense eyes as she brushed passed him out of the room.

Her hands balled tight again, making fresh dents in her hands from her sharp red nails, forcing the pain to overpower her feelings of nausea and disgust.

Never let him see the cracks. It was a fine line she had to tread when it came to Lucifer Morningstar. To be confident and assertive worked well against him – he enjoyed it and respected it. But too defiant or disobedient would lead to severe punishment. Equally, there needed to be clear evidence of respect and submission towards him, showing that you understood who exactly was in control. But if you broke, if you showed any weakness, well that would almost spur him on, of which she had learnt the hard way.

No. She wouldn’t let him see her crack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like, let me know what you think.... Kudos/Comments really make my day :)


	3. The Infernal Government

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't done any research into the political or hierarchical orders of Hell, so apologies if what I've written goes against any published texts/mythology/works about Hell. I've just created something that I think works and believe there would be some kind of order and hierarchy in the underworld. Hope you all like.

Although she was no longer Regent, Lilith still had to act as one to Sabrina - to guide and advise in her new role as queen. The Dark Lord had made it very clear she was to stay with Sabrina, her only respite from the adolescent being when she retired at the end of each day to her quarters. This time was not only a break from Sabrina and the court of Hell but her only chance to rest – she was continually exhausted, but she wouldn’t let them see it.

Her headache was particularly bad today, the pressure building behind her eyes causing her to squint, worsened by bright lights. Thankfully the corridors and rooms in Pandemonium were dimly lit with very few candles. Lilith was on her way to collect Sabrina, for today they were opening the Infernal Government under Sabrina’s new ruling.

“You have a lot of responsibility as Queen Sabrina.” Lilith stated as they made their way down to the court room. “You have dragged souls to Hell yes, but there is so much more you must learn.”

Sabrina walked alongside Lilith, their footsteps echoing against the stone walls. “I’m ready to learn, to take charge. I am committed to Hell now Lilith.” Her eyes were wide and attentive, and although Lilith appreciated the young girl’s determination, her naivety was astounding.

“It’s a lot more than just ‘taking charge’ Sabrina. You are the Head of State now. The figurehead of Pandemonium; representing unity across the circles of Hell in their loyalty to you.” Lilith face was stern and unreadable, a skill she had perfected, hiding the growing resentment she had for her new Queen. “You need to keep the Lords of Hell happy and under your control. You will have regular meetings with them to keep abreast of current events. There will need to be social engagements with the most elite, for you to make connections and alliances across the realm.” 

“But I’ll also be able to pass laws within the Kingdom?”

Lilith rolled her eyes. She was truly a spoilt brat, wanting all the power but had complete disregard for the balance of politics. Sabrina clearly wanted to shake things up and make changes in Hell, but Lilith knew how much instability that would cause across the realms. The young Queen’s arrogance was insufferable, no appreciation to the laws and traditions of Hell or of her heritage and it infuriated Lilith. On more than one occasion already Lilith had to remind Sabrina to reign it in, she was so passionate as Queen but she needed to tread carefully. The Kings were accepting of their new Queen but that was only out of sheer devotion to the Dark Lord. They could easily turn, especially as their new sovereign was a woman, and Lilith would certainly suffer at Lucifer’s hands if Sabrina’s ascension wasn’t smooth.

“Yes, Sabrina. You will be able to pass laws but you need to be careful. You can’t go changing everything that has been in place for thousands of years. The systems works, the balance between the realms is stable and your mortal views will not be accepted here.”

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean improvements cannot be made.”

“No, it doesn’t but you first need to show your commitment to Hell, that you understand and respect the Kingdom and it’s inhabitants. That you are one of them. And today will be a perfect place to start showing this.”

“What is today?”

“You are opening the Infernal Government. The beginning of a new session under your rule.” The words leaving a bad taste in her mouth. Sabrina nodded in her understanding.

“The representatives of every domain in Hell gather and debate, policies and laws are discussed, the usual political dramas will ultimately ensue.” She paused at the top of stairs to let Sabrina descend first, glad of the chance to be out of eye sight so she could grimace at the cramps that had started in her stomach. She really didn’t have the strength or motivation today - to babysit the Queen.

“Beelzebub is the Chief Minister.” Lilith continued as she descended the stairs and joined Sabrina. “He is the main advisor and one you don’t want to go up against.”

“Ok. So, opening the Infernal Government. Easy.” Sabrina lied, looking slightly nervous. Lilith did nothing to reassure her.

Lilith stayed with Sabrina as they entered the court. The demons rose as they entered and only seated when Sabrina had sat down at the head of the table. Unsurprisingly there was no chair for Lilith, a reminder from the Kings that she didn’t belong here. She took a deep breath to calm her anger and pounding head and stood dutifully behind the young Queens chair off to one side.

“So,” Sabrina opened, clearly unsure what to say “The Infernal Government. I thank you for this meeting… and… would like to formally open the governments first session.” Sabrina looked up and round at Lilith, her eyes were rolling so far back they nearly disappeared.

Lilith might have interrupted at this point, to help ease the communications between the parties, but that was back when Sabrina was only acting Queen and would be passing on the role to herself. Now, Sabrina was on her own. Yes, she had to guide her and stay by her side as per the Dark Lord’s instructions, but that didn’t mean she had to make it easy for the young Queen.

Her head was throbbing and she barely took in any of the discussions of the court. Her arms were folded across her middle. She lifted one hand to apply pressure to the side of her head but it did nothing to alleviate the pain. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The court was arguing, the demons shouting over one and another. The sounds drilled through her head, pulsing with the intense pressure behind her skull, their incessant arguing amplifying the pain. Why hadn’t Sabrina commanded the situation or attempt to shut them up? When they started banging on the tables in anger Lilith had had enough. Her eyes shot open with a daring glare at the court.

“There will be ORDER!” she shouted, desperate for the noise to stop.

The court hushed slowly, shocked, all eyes on her, staring her down with expressions of hatred.

“Who are you to give us orders? Lucifer’s whore.” Beelzebub drawled. “You have no place amongst this court!”

Raged burnt inside her at his name calling. Her eyes shooting daggers at the Chief Minister, ignoring the black spots that danced at the edge of her vision.

“Where the Queen goes, I go.” Lilith argued, holding on to the back of Sabrina’s chair to steady herself.

“Yes, that’s right.” Sabrina added, but offered no further defence for Lilith. She turned back to the Chief Minister “If you could continue what you were saying Beelzebub?”

“As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted,” he glared at the rest of the Infernal court “following the challenge of the Unholy Regalia, congratulations again your Highness. There is unfortunately deep unrest in the Kingdom. The halt you placed on new deals is having a severe impact across the realm. The armies of Hell are restless, with dwindling numbers of new souls to torture there are fears there will be an uprising if we don’t restore the balance.”

Sabrina nodded as she processed this information. “Well Beelzebub, as my Chief advisor, what do you propose we do?”

“To restore unity across the circles, I propose we bring back…. the Crowley Challenge!”

Cheering erupted and hands whacked the table in excitement and approval at the suggestion. Lilith rolled her eyes and exhaled dramatically while Sabrina looked around at her for an explanation.

Lilith looked at Beelzebub and raised an eyebrow to ask permission to speak. He tipped his head in approval and she began to explain.

“The Crowley Challenge is a challenge amongst the Disordered Court where demons compete against each other to bring the most souls to Hell in an allotted time. That could be by way of new contracts or collecting on existing souls.” Lilith explained as she approached the table and leant her hands against it, needing a solid surface to hold onto. “It was inspired obviously by Crowley, who had once gathered over 100,000 souls in a day, during a Great War. A number _no one_ has yet to match.” She took pleasure to glaring down at the court to belittle them, that they were not as impressive as they believed themselves to be. “The Elite of Hell gather to watch as a representative of each realm completes.”

“It will boost moral amongst the realm, reinvigorate the numbers and it’s a damn lot of fun!” Beelzebub adds with a chaotic look of joy in his eyes.

“Oh wow. Ok.” Sabrina said in a neutral tone, clearly weighing up her options here. Lilith knew she would be fighting against her mortal instincts, to save souls rather than bring them here. But as Queen of Hell she had to do what was best for Pandemonium, and this would involve keeping all its residents satisfied. “I understand your concerns Beelzebub, about our dwindling numbers. But doesn’t that seem a bit extreme?” Sabrina said. The numbers were too high. “How about a challenge of who can bring the worst soul to Hell? The foulest, most rotten guilty soul - Serial killers? Rapists? Child murderers? And the demon bringing the worst of humanity here would win?”

“And who would be the judge of this exactly?” Mocked a member of the court disapprovingly

“Well I would.” Sabrina replied. Trying her best to sound positive and convincing to her Government.

Lilith could feel the tension building, she knew the court wasn’t going to buy this suggestion and if she wasn’t careful, they could revolt. The cramps in her stomach were slowly getting worse, she needed to sit down. She turned and perched on the corner of the table, turning away from the eyes of the court so that she was facing Sabrina, sitting only alleviating the pains slightly.

“Sabrina, I don’t think you understand,” she spoke slowly and quietly “we demons do not recognise the actions of humans or get involved in their crimes as you call it. It is the sins they give in to that are measured here.” She paused, flicking her head briefly around to see the listening faces of the court “Small numbers will not satisfy the hunger amongst the kingdom for more bodies to torture. No matter how vile their individual soul may be.”

Lilith could see the cogs turning in Sabrina’s head, fighting her mortal instincts against what she had committed herself to be by being Queen. Lilith raised her eyebrows and widened her eyes to get the message across to Sabrina that she had to do this. If only so Lilith could get out this damn courtroom.

Reluctantly, Sabrina agreed to the Crowley Challenge. “I would like to request that as many souls as possible be those of heinous crimes and acts of violence.” Sabrina added, clearly in an attempt to ease her morality.

* * *

“You know you won’t be able to control the demons to do that?” Lilith stated as the pair of them left the courtroom.

They walked towards the stairs behind the throne, Lilith again letting Sabrina travel the steps ahead of her. Sabrina waited at the top of the stairs; her hands rested on the barrier as the young Queen looked over her empty throne room. Lilith joined her, leaning back against the beam facing the other direction towards the stained-glass wall, her arms folded across her middle as her stomach continued to tighten.

“As part of the Crowley challenge, you will also need to return a soul to Hell, personally.” Lilith advised.

“But I thought it was just the entrants taking part? Why do I need to collect a soul?”

“It’s a sort of ceremonial commencement as it were. Your collected soul signals the start of the challenge.” Lilith’s hand flicked the air as she gestured. “Once the challenge has been confirmed across the realms, we will go find you a suitable soul to bring forth. But if you don’t mind, I have some business I must attend to.”

“Oh ok. I’ll see you later then.”

She had no business to attend to but she desperately needed to lie down. Her body was drained and the black spots around her vision had started to reappear. Lilith pushed herself off the railings and disappeared down the stone hallway back to her chambers, her fingertips brushing along the cold stone walls to centre her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments make me smile :)


	4. Torture & Tantrums

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you ever write for a character and hate them so much for what they're doing even though you are the one writing it? lol.  
> Yup.... well that's me right now. I'm sorry, Lucifer is a dick.

Lilith had been summoned by the Dark Lord. Thankfully she didn’t see much of him these days, her time being spent at Sabrina’s side. Although that was still tiresome, Sabrina was just as arrogant and full of self importance as her Father. Lilith’s hatred for the blonde grew with every waking moment – her ascension to Queen without doing any of the work, that she so easily had the respect of the court and the kingdom when they had denied that of Lilith. She even resented Sabrina’s motivation and energy - for Lilith had none. Her body was not her own now; plagued with fatigue, migraines and nausea – Lilith hated the weakness it brought. 

She paused before she entered the room, taking a moment to breathe and build her defences. She didn’t know what mood he would be in and she wasn’t sure she had the strength to deal with whoever was on the other side of the door. She shook her head slightly to compose herself, her eyes dark and focussed, she stood tall and confident as she entered the room.

Lucifer was sat at the head of the table in front of the fire, surrounded by books and piles of papers, a glass of red close to hand. Although he was no longer Head or State, he had much to sort out following his absence and his possessive nature meant he liked to stay in control of his kingdom.

“You wanted to see me Dark Lord?” Lilith said as she entered the room.

“Lilith.” He sounds of the ‘l’s in her name sent shivers down her spine. “Yes, I did.” He flicked his fingers towards him, gesturing for her to come closer.

Her heels echoed on the stone fall as she approached, her arms folded together across her front. The closer she got the more nervous she felt, her confident façade doing nothing to stop her insides from twisting as she neared the Dark Lord. She stopped when she reached the top of the table, standing slightly round the corner from where he sat. She knew she had done nothing wrong but that didn’t mean she wasn’t in trouble for something.

“How is the Queen?” He asked, continuing to read from the pile of ancient papers that were piled on the table in front of him.

“Yes, she’s fine.” Lilith felt uneasy at the casual nature of the conversation.

“Good. Is everything ready for the Crowley Challenge?” Lucifer keep his eyes down not bothering to look at her when she spoke. He picked up a dusty book and began to thumb the pages.

“Yes, Dark Lord. The Nine Circles have been informed and all the participants to the challenge have been submitted.”

“And does Sabrina have her soul for the Commencement Ceremony?”

“Not yet,” Lilith exhaled quietly “but she’ll go get one in the next few days.” Her hands flicked the air as she gestured casually.

Lucifer stopped reading and looked up at Lilith, his dark eyes had the ability to unsteady her. “ _She_ will? Don’t you mean ‘we’?”

“I’m sorry?” Lilith was confused.

“Did you misunderstand me Lilith? Was I not clear in my instructions?” He drawled “ _You_ are to stay with the Queen. _At. All. Times._ ”

“Dark Lord, with all due respect, she is perfectly capable of collecting one soul by herself. She doesn’t need me to watch over her.”

Lucifer slammed his book shut and glared at her from his chair “You forget yourself Lilith. You cannot be trusted. _She_ is the one watching _you_ , not the other way round.”

“What?”

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer to him, causing her to stumble slightly. Her breath caught in her chest at the sudden movement and their close proximity. He may have been seated but his presence still towered over her soul.

“You betrayed me!” He snarled “You are only still alive because of my son in there,” he placed a hand on her stomach, holding the small bump that had started to form, she couldn’t help the look of disgust that flashed across her face at the contact “you are a host Lilith. Nothing more. And once my son is born you will be executed for your betrayal.”

His fingertips on her body made her skin crawl and her stomach turn. A wave of sickness was building fast within her. She breathed in deeply through her nose to squash it.

He could see what little colour she had in her face drain away, her complexion quickly turning white. He placed his other hand on her belly, his fingers pressing as they roamed. She could feel the bile rising fast up her throat at his touch. _No no no she couldn’t be sick here. Not in front of him._ Her deep breaths were shaken and she rolled her lips inside her mouth and bit down with her teeth to clamp them shut.

He watched her squirm, his mouth turned at its corners into a demented smile. His fingers stroked her belly slowly “oh he is growing nicely.” He sneered

Her stomach heaved. She fought against the instinct to raise her hand to her mouth as she gagged, her lips clamped shut to stifle it and her jaw trembled slightly. He eyed her intently as he felt her stomach clench beneath his fingers, his dark eyes gleeful, fully aware of what he was doing to her. His fingers moved across her middle, holding her possessively. He leant forward slowly towards her bump and whispered “My blood, my son.”

She couldn’t stop it; her fragile stomach had been pushed over the edge. She bolted towards the fireplace behind him as her stomach heaved again expelling its contents on the stone floor. Her body shook and hunched over - her hands grabbed her thighs for support as her throat retched painfully.

He turned around in his chair, his eyes following as she ran, watching her lose her fight against her own body, watching her suffering. He exhaled a half laugh, his gleeful eyes smiling.

“Oh Lilith. Look at you.” He laughed “you’re a mess.”

She struggled to get her breath back, she had one hand holding herself up against the mantle while the over wrapped her middle. The vomit pooled on the floor at her feet, splashes on the edge of her long dress and shoes.

“And to think you thought you should be Queen. Ha!” Lucifer mocked, still not leaving his chair, like Lilith was some form of personal entertainment for him. “You are no Queen Lilith. You are nothing. Now clean this up and get out!”

He turned back in his chair and casually took a sip of the glass of red that sat on the table before going back to his work.

* * *

Her meeting with the Dark Lord rattled her. She thought her guard was up high enough but he knew her too well, could sense her weak spots. Her nausea was heightened so much by his presence, her energy already fast diminishing without the added vomiting he caused. She had returned to her chambers but her solitude was short lived when she was required at a dress fitting for the Queen. 

Sabrina was getting fitted for a new dress for this evenings event. They were having a ball with the crème de la crème of Hell ahead of the Crowley Challenge. Where the elite of Hell would mingle and discuss their proposed challengers, place bets and exchange tactics.

Lilith sat on a chair by the fireside while Sabrina stood on a platform in the centre of the room with the dressmakers around her knees fitting her new gown. Lilith leant back into the chair, her head resting against the back staring absentmindedly at the ceiling. She held one hand across her stomach, the sickness had passed as quickly as it came but she still felt dreadful. The child inside was growing at an alarming rate, evidenced by the small bump that was already clearly visible. The Dark Lord’s celestial blood mixed with her own was obviously altering this pregnancy significantly which meant she didn’t really know how much time she had to come up with a plan. She breathed deeply as her stomach tightened, trying to ignore the juvenile ramblings of the Queen. She needed to come up with a plan. Her stay of execution was only temporary, as the Dark Lord continually reminded her, and she needed to find a way to stay alive after this little beast was born.

“No no no! This isn’t right.” Sabrina exclaimed throwing down her headdress. “This is not what I wanted. I look hideous.”

“But your highness, this is what you requested” the dressmaker replied from her knees at Sabrina’s feet while fixing the hem of the dress.

“I’m not wearing it. No.” Sabrina huffed. “Lilith, go get the hairpiece from the other room!”

Lilith snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of her name. She glared at the girl.

“Well if you’re gonna be here you might as well make yourself useful. It’s in the adjoining room somewhere.”

Lilith rolled her eyes and stood up slowly. Sabrina’s attitude was changing the longer she was in Hell and Lilith hated to admit but she missed the girl’s aunts, they would have reigned her in. The young Queen was turning into a spoiled brat, taking less advice and giving more orders, had absolutely no respect. She left to the adjoining room but could still hear Sabrina’s continued whining about her attire.

She had to get rid of Sabrina somehow, get her out of the picture. The Dark Lord might know Lilith well enough to see her weaknesses but the same could be said for Lilith. Sabrina was his weakness. He was focussed solely on the young Queen, all the plans he had made revolved around his daughter, to make her Queen of Hell. But if she was no longer around…. Lilith might have a chance of survival. If their son was the only Heir it could work to her advantage. And she would be released from this indignity of servitude to the spoiled Queen.

She would need to be careful, tread delicately. Subtlety was her specialty. She couldn’t kill the Queen, no, that would enact a war and be suicide. But if Sabrina was to leave Hell, of her own volition… The Dark Lord would have no cause to suspect Lilith. Sabrina had chosen Hell over her family - abandoning her mortal and witch life to live in the underworld, but she was half mortal. Her ideas, her morality, still present despite sitting on the throne of Hell. Although these ideals were promptly fading the longer Sabrina stayed down here. If Lilith could remind her of her conscience, of her family, make her doubt her decision. It would leave the throne open to Lilith and her son.

* * *

The guests would be arriving soon and she would then be called upon to accompany the Queen down to the soirée. Lilith was alone in her chambers getting herself ready for the evening. Today had been a long day, what with the incident with the Dark Lord and Sabrina’s tantrum she was positively exhausted, but grateful for some respite from the persistent sickness and pain.

She sat at her vanity in a blood red silk nightdress and matching robe that fell open and touched the floor at its corners. She finished the make up on her eyes, a thin black line across her top lid and thick layers of mascara, and began to slowly apply her lipstick. She paused to look at her reflection, her long brown hair falling in waves across her shoulders down her chest, her face was still ashen and grey. Her cheekbones seemed more defined, protruding sharper. Her face looked thinner and her collar bones visible behind the thin straps of her nightdress. Her hands stroked her cheeks and down her jaw as she titled her head from left to right looking deeply into the reflection. The changes to her body were now visible on the outside, maybe her façade wasn’t as strong as she thought and that’s why Lucifer could read her so easily.

She hadn’t had time to properly look at herself before, being called upon at any given hour to assist the Queen. She had kept this body as she had grown to love it but now it was changing, it was showing her weakness. Her hands travelled down her body, along her collar bone moving her robe and straps off one shoulder to see. The bones beneath her skin visible and angular. Her hands continued down her frame past her breasts to settle on her stomach which held the parasite inside. She stood up, the robe falling off her shoulders onto the chair and she took a few paces back so she could see her full length in the vanity mirror. The silk of her night dress clung with static to her skin, highlighting her skeletal frame. The blood red colour of the dress contrasting sharply against her pale skin. She watched her reflection as her hands travelled over her waist and abdomen, circling the small bump that had formed painfully with the accelerated growth. 

She hadn’t thought this plan through, the changes this pregnancy would have on her. She didn’t think it would weaken her like this, she didn’t think she would care, but she did. She hated being here, she hated how she was always tired, she hated that her body was not her own, she hated that a part of Lucifer was inside her, she hated being sick, and she hated…. She hated that she wanted to cry.

She looked to the ceiling to stop any tears from falling and took a breath to compose herself. Sitting back down at the vanity she finished her makeup and went to go get dressed. Her outfit tonight was understated, so as not to draw any attention from the Queen. The dress was black with a black lace overlay, it was tight at her waist and hung from her hips down to the floor. She went to get her heels from the dark wooden wardrobe but from the moment the door opened hundreds of thousands of flies erupted from inside and swarmed around her head.

“What the-“

She stumbled backwards into the centre of the room, her hands waving through the air across her face to bat the bugs away. It caught her off guard, she spun around in circles as they flew at her face, buzzing in her ears, flying in her mouth. She flailed around as they attacked, almost tripping on the hem of her dress. _Beelzebub!_ She realised. She stopped moving, closed her eyes and dipped her head. Keeping still she focussed, ignoring the buzzing and the hairs on her skin that twitched as the flies landed on her, she built the magic deep inside and with a snap of her fingers they were gone.

_That son of a bitch!_ Lilith was enraged. She picked up a vase from a nearby table and threw it across the room hitting the wall and smashing it to pieces. Her breathing was fast and she shook with anger. She knew what he thought of her but to actually set his little beasts on her? Her!

She was interrupted by a knock at the door and a voice coming from the other side. “Mistress Lilith. You are to accompany the Queen now.”

She glanced in the mirror quickly. She flattened her wayward hair before going back to the wardrobe to collect and slip on her heels. Beelzebub would be there tonight, and she was angry. Very angry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments make me smile, and keep me writing :)


	5. Everything has a Price

“My Lords, Ladies, dishonoured guests. Welcome!” Lucifer stood upon the steps of the throne room and welcomed the most elite of Hell to the ball. The Dark Lord wore a black suit with tails which had a subtle but flamboyant gold baroque pattern. Sabrina was standing next to him wearing a tight, floor length dress with the same flamboyant baroque pattern but in opposing black & gold colours. The perfect Father/Daughter duo, the Royalty of Hell standing high above the crowd.

Lilith stood at the corner of the room, her long dark hair and black dress hiding her well in the shadows. She took a sip of her champagne slowly as she surveyed the room. Beelzebub was at the front of the crowd with the other two Kings of Hell. The mere sight of him infuriated her, her eyes glared at him wishing she could rip him apart limb of limb. However, she knew she couldn’t, she knew she was being watched. Lucifer had made that perfectly clear earlier in the day.

“So, enjoy yourselves. Drink! Get to know your challengers, but remember, no sabotaging….” He paused for dramatic effect “save that for the Crowley Challenge!” The crowd cheered and clapped as Lucifer finished his speech. The Dark Lord and Sabrina descended the stairs and joined the mingling crowd. Lucifer caught Lilith’s gaze, his eyes dark and annoyed. He clicked his fingers and pointed to where he stood, summoning her over like some disobedient animal.

Lilith was forced to stay by Sabrina’s side all night, standing behind her as the girl engaged with the variety of guests in attendance. She presented Sabrina to the most elite residents of pandemonium; her lips curled having to introduce her as their Queen. Time and again suffering the indignity of having to follow her, hold her drinks, and listen to the pathetic conversations as everyone sucked up to the adolescent. Sabrina was like a duck to water as the Head of State at public events, her newfound arrogance aiding her charm amongst the court.

The music played and the drinks flowed as the pair navigated around the room. Her patience was running thin, having to hold her tongue at the snide comments being made towards her from the guests as they conversed with the Queen. The evening was dragging on and Lilith’s body was exhausted, her anger the only thing keeping her upright at this point.

A shiver ran down her spine when she felt a presence appear close behind her, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up as they whispered in her ear. “Why if it isn’t Lucifers whore.” Lilith turned around to face them. “I’m surprised you’re allowed out to such a formal event.”

“Beelzebub.” Rage returning quickly through her veins at the sight of him. Lilith looked back at Sabrina, who was busy in deep conversation, and stepped away from the Queen towards the King of the Flies. “I know it was you.”

“Excuse me?” Beelzebub scoffed confused.

“That little trick you pulled with your flying friends!” She whispered in angry tones as she scowled at him.

“What are you referring to exactly?” Beelzebub replied casually, not rising to Lilith’s anger. He took a sip of his drink, his black teeth glistening in the low light of the courts.

“The demon flies you sent to attack me.” Her anger pulsed through her. His casual stance only winding her up further.

“I don’t know what you mean.” He said with a flair. His words denied her claims but there was a glint in his eyes that told her otherwise. 

“Come on Beelzebub. It had your _stench_ written all over it!” Her voice getting louder as she struggled to curb her frustrations.

“I’d mind your tongue if I were you.” His voice harsh and cold “Talking to the Chief Minister like that won’t go down well with our Dark Lord.”

“You vindictive little shit!” Lilith spat, she went to move towards him, wanting to wring his neck but was interrupted.

“What’s going on here?” Lucifer had stepped between Lilith and Beelzebub, his tone authoritative as he stood tall above her.

“Dark Lord.” Beelzebub’s voice respectful but angry “Your little concubine here is accusing me of attacking her.”

Lilith rolled her eyes and scoffed “He did!” She exclaimed

“My apologies Beelzebub.” Lucifer glared at her; jaw clenched at her outburst. “Lilith?” He said through gritted teeth

“The little bastard sent his little demon flies to attack me in my room!” She argued

“I assure you my Lord, I did nothing of the sort.” Interrupted Beelzebub, complete denial of what she knew had happened.

“Of course you’re didn’t.” Lucifer grabbed Lilith tightly by the arm pulling her away. She fought against it and stumbled with the harsh movement, her anger blinding her and forgetting who she was dealing with. “Stop causing a scene and making a mockery of this court! Your lies are not going to get you anywhere Lilith!” His Dark eyes were furious, his breathing heavy in anger and he squeezed her arms forcefully.

“I’m not lying. He attacked me!” She struggled and freed herself from his grip. Her breathing short and fast. She looked up at him and saw the pure hatred etched in his face, she then realised even if he did believe her - he wouldn’t care. She quickly changed tactics. Despite her level of anger, she tried to soften her face and quieten her voice. She placed a hand on her stomach for effect and looked up through her thick lashes “Attacking your son.” She added.

“No, he didn’t!” Lucifer spat “I don’t know what you are up to Lilith but it won’t work. Now hold your tongue before I lock you away.”

She hesitated; mouth open to respond but didn’t say anything. When he saw Lilith stumble on her words, open her mouth and close it submitting, he moved away back into the crowd. His charm and smile back as he tried to distract the guests from Lilith’s outburst.

Her heart was thumping rapidly in her chest and her fists balled tight to control her anger, hating Beelzebub yes, but it was her rage at Lucifer that was overpowering. There was a time when they were a force to be reckoned with in the pit, working together in wickedly delicious schemes and anyone who dare challenge them would suffer external torture and damnation. She knew things had changed between them over the years, she hadn’t forgotten any of it, his controlling nature and abuse towards her still painful, but all that was normally behind closed doors. She didn’t want to go back to how things were but it was a shock for her to be so publicly put down, in front of Beelzebub and the whole court.

She stood rooted to the spot. Her eyes low as she tried to control her angered breaths. Once the Dark Lord had gone, she could see Beelzebub approach her with a smirk from the corner of her eyes.

“My friends very much enjoyed your company.” He whispered as he brushed past her.

She lost it. The anger coursed through her veins like a wildfire. She spun around and stepped towards him, her hands out in front grasping the air – her magic gripped his throat, squeezing tightly. Her eyebrows furrowed and her eyes glared daggers at him. Clenching the empty space between her palms her hands shook with the intensity of her rage. She watched him grab his neck, his eyes wide in shock as he clawed at the invisible force around his throat. But then slowly he stopped and lowered his hands, a smile crept upon his face and he laughed. A sound so cold it made her shiver. She looked down at her trembling hands, focussing all her energy on her magic but he continued to walk towards her slowly.

“It seems you’ve lost your touch Lilith.” He eyed her up and down. Her hands fell limply to her sides. “You pathetic whore.” He said before he sauntered off.

Her breathing slowed in defeat. Glancing down at her hands, she turned them over and brushed her thumb over her fingertips trying to sense her powers. But she couldn’t feel anything. Why was her magic not working? Where had it gone? She looked around frantically, checking to see if anyone else had seen her humiliating failure. Thankfully no one was watching her, or even acknowledging her existence.

She couldn’t be without her powers, they were who she was, defined her. She had possessed magical abilities for as long as she dared to remember, without them she was nothing, weak. She could feel herself starting to panic - without magic she was defenceless against the Dark Lord. She walked off quickly to hide at the edge of the room, grabbing another drink on her way. She wanted to disappear back to her room but knew she couldn’t, it wasn’t allowed. Lucifer was already furious with her, her arm still aching from his vice like grip, she daren’t risk disobeying him again.

She leant back against the wall in the shadows, her head and shoulder blades making contact with the stone. She downed her drink quickly, the alcohol numbing the rising sense of panic and allowing her exhaustion to creep up slowly to the surface. She tried to think what could have happened to her magic, had someone cursed her? Had Beelzebub come for her twice in one day? No, he wasn’t capable of such power, his speciality was his little flying beasts. He couldn’t remove her magic. She stared at the empty champagne glass she held in her hands. Was her magic truly gone? Maybe it was just a weak moment? She held the glass by the stem and concentrated hard, staring strong and intently at the sides of the slender flute wishing it to shatter in her hands. Her eyebrows lowered as she squinted, trying hard to summon her powers from within to this one moment, to shatter the glass into a million pieces. She could feel the magic within her but it was so distant, like she couldn’t quite touch it. Her body started to shake as she strained to access her powers, the sounds of the party disappearing. Her only focus was on the glass, not noticing the black spots at the edge of her vision.

Then, just before it got too much and she was about to give up, a tiny crack appeared from the rim going halfway down the flute. She exhaled the breath she’d been holding. Her magic was really down! She swayed against the wall. The glass dropped from her hands as her knees gave way, the flute shattering into pieces at her feet. She threw her hands behind her on the wall to stop herself falling. Her body was crying out in exhaustion, her legs barely able to keep her upright and she struggled to catch her breath. Her attempt at magic seemed to have crippled her, but why? She closed her eyes and breathed deep, her hand resting on her chest, gradually regaining her balance. She didn’t understand why couldn’t she do magic. It was clearly still inside her, the glass has cracked, but she just couldn’t draw out the power. Her magic was weak and distant. Why did her attempts debilitate her like this? No curse she knew of would have this effect on the victim. Remove them, yes, change them, maybe, but to debilitate the wielder when attempting to use them…. no. It couldn’t be a curse.

Her eyelids flung open when the realisation hit her, her blue eyes wide and shocked. She looked down at her slightly curved stomach, her hands wavering above it but not wanting to touch it, almost scared of what was inside her. Her mouth hung open in disgust. _You! This is all YOUR fault._ Her stomach cramped in reply forcing her to whimper, confirming her suspicions. The parasite inside was draining all of her powers - taking them for itself, leaving her weak and defenceless.

Lilith felt angry and nauseous all at once, her breathing rapid as she processed this horrendous truth, her stomach weighing heavy inside from what she had done. This wasn’t fair, she hadn’t signed up for this. Was it not bad enough that she had to carry the damn thing inside of her body, with all the exhaustion and sickness that came with it, but to steal her magic? She clamped a hand over her mouth and tried to stop the tears from falling.

This was a fate worse than death – a stay of execution trapped in hell with no powers, no means of escape, and still subservient to the Dark Lord. She had made a mistake. She should have let Lucifer kill her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and coming with me on this dark and angsty fic.  
> I'd love to know your reactions/thoughts/requests for what should happen next  
> Comments appreciated :)


	6. Into The Abyss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got distracted creating a mood board for this chapter, which I’ve not done before and I’m quite proud of. Hope you like the imagery.  
> The next few chapters are going to get a lot darker. Sorry.  
> Trigger warnings for weapons, violence, abuse, reference to murders, and horror scenes.

It had been weeks since the ball, since she lost her magic, and every day was a struggle for Lilith. The babe inside was stripping her not only of her magic but her entire life force; her energy and her strength now a faded memory. She was a shell of her former self and growing weaker every second but she desperately tried to hide it. She wouldn’t let Sabrina or Lucifer see - they could not find out she was powerless.

Lilith was thin, hauntingly thin. Her skin hung off her tiny skeletal frame with every bone and joint visible through her paper-thin flesh. Her eyes and cheeks hollowed making her jaw and cheekbones sharp and angular on her gaunt complexion. She was almost unrecognisable, the body she had chosen was rapidly wasting away, whilst the small swell of her stomach continued to grow. She had forgotten what it was like to be able to move without it hurting. The frail bones in her legs and hips cry out when she slips on her heels. Her ankles stinging from the pressure on the joints and she bites back the whimper of pain.

Lilith took a breath to prepare herself. She tried to keep her mind focussed on her plan so as not to let the weakness take hold. She couldn’t give up; she needed to keep going, to stay in control as best she could. The Crowley Challenge was fast approaching and Sabrina still needed to collect a soul for the event.

Sabrina and Lilith had discussed the soul she would collect for the commencement ceremony, flicking through the heavy book and scrawling for someone guilty enough to satisfy the young queen’s mortal conscience. Lilith didn’t understand why this was still important to Sabrina, she was Queen of Hell now, but made note that through the girl’s regal arrogance her mortal side was still ever present. This would be useful.

They had decided upon a Mister Charles Main, a man who had launched an attack at a school resulting in the murder of multiple young children. He had sold his soul in exchange for his freedom and was now living on the outskirts of town in a seemingly abandoned cottage. Lilith successfully convinced Sabrina to practice her teleportation by fire in order to get them to their destination, by tempting her with the powers of Hell in order to hide Lilith’s own lack of magic from the Young Queen.

Lilith, Sabrina and their horned demon companion arrived in a swirl of flames at the end of a dirt track in front of a run down, almost derelict, cottage. The windows were boarded up with decaying pieces of wood, the cottage was covered in overgrown vines and leaves while the only sign of life was the faint smell of burning and whispers of smoke coming from the chimney.

They walked towards the cottage, the horned demon trailing behind her and the Queen. Lilith’s ankles wobbled painfully while walking on the stone path, her heels providing her no stability on the uneven ground.

“I wonder where he is…” Sabrina muttered as they approached.

Lilith didn’t respond. She was too busy trying to keep herself upright and her mouth shut from involuntary expressions of pain. The days were hard enough to get through in Pandemonium and she feared an outing to the mortal realm was pushing her body too far. However, if she didn’t go with Sabrina today there would be serious consequences from Lucifer. She couldn’t risk another vomit inducing run in with the Dark Lord again or worse.

“Look, I’m sorry you had to come with me today.” Sabrina interrupted the silence.

Lilith stopped walking and stared at the blonde in confusion. “What?”

Sabrina stopped too and faced her with surprisingly soft eyes. “I know Lucifer has forced you to come today, and it’s obvious you are not well. And I’m sorry for that.”

Lilith was truly shocked. Sabrina barely took onboard anyone else’s existence, always doing what she wanted, be damned of the consequences. For Sabrina to show concern for someone else and recognise Lilith and her position like this, well, she didn’t quite know what to make of it.

“I… er… thank you.” Was all Lilith could reply.

“I can handle this perfectly well on my own, you don’t have to do anything.” 

“Yes, well be that as it may Sabrina… I still have to be here. So let’s just get on with it shall we?” Lilith rolled her eyes and continued walking up to the house. She wasn’t used to anyone showing concern and she didn’t know what else to say, her defences automatically up and pushing everyone out. It was always safer that way.

Sabrina jogged a little to catch up with Lilith as they neared the cottage. As they got closer, they could hear sounds coming from behind the building; the swooshing and thud of chopping wood. Lilith and Sabrina exchange a wary look before rounding the corner of the house. Lilith’s heels were getting caught in the ground as they walked through the overgrown grass, her knees screamed with the extra force she needed to keep them from sinking into the solid mud. Sabrina lead the way, not able to see the grimace that flashed over Lilith’s face at the agony she was failing to hide.

Behind the house they found an older man, late 50’s, swinging an axe over his shoulder chopping blocks of wood. His appearance dishevelled, his salt and pepper hair and beard unkept and he was wearing dirty clothes and muddy shoes.

“Excuse me.” Sabrina walked ahead alerting the man of their presence “Are you Charles Main?”

“Depends who’s askin’” he replied, putting down the axe and wiping his brow with his sleeve.

“My name is Sabrina Morningstar. You made a deal with my father, and I’m here to collect.”

He scoffed. “I don’t think so sweetie.” With a patronising tone and glint in his eyes as he surveyed the young Queen “I made a deal for my freedom, I ain’t going no where.”

“The deal was your freedom from prison, not from us. And now we are here to take to you where you belong, to Hell.” Sabrina’s eyebrows raised and arms folded in her usual air of delusional confidence.

“And you think you can make me, do you?” Charles approached Sabrina slowly, he hands travelled to the knife looped in his belt. “Little girl.”

“Yes. And I brought backup.” Sabrina said squaring up to the rugged killer.

Lilith and the horned demon joined Sabrina side, the three of them showing their strength in numbers against this lonely crazed mortal. Despite their show of confidence and strength, Lilith had never felt weaker. Her head was spinning and pounding and she tried to ignore the black spots that were dancing at the corners of her vision. Lilith breathed deeply and readjusted her feet wider apart to ground herself and keep up her façade.

Charles continued to approach Sabrina, his hand gripped the handle of the knife, his eyes calculating. Their horned demon stepped in front of Sabrina to protect her, towering over the dishevelled man. The man stops, head twitching as he weighed up his options.

“You can’t take me. I have too much work left to do-“

“You have to come with us now, your time is up.” Sabrina commanded

He looked frantically between the three of them as the horned demon stood tall in front of him blocking his access to the young Queen. The mortal appeared to surrender and Sabrina relaxed visibly next to her.

“No!” He yelled. Then out of no where he launched towards Lilith pulling her towards him. The jostled movement caused shooting pains to tear through her already fragile body and she couldn’t help the whimper that escaped her lips. It all happened so fast and suddenly his arm was wrapped tight around her chest from behind and the knife was at her throat. She titled her head as far away as she could from the blade that now pressed against her skin.

“What are you doing?” Sabrina shouted

“I won’t go!” Charles barked, Lilith could feel the rage pouring from his body as the words brushed past her ear “Let me go or I’ll… I’ll slit her throat!” Her breathing shook, the cold metal against her skin bringing the rising sense of panic to the surface. She could feel her knees begin to buckle, her legs were not strong enough and the world around her continued to spin.

“You don’t know who you are dealing with Charles. Lilith here is the First Witch, the Mother of Demons. You don’t stand a chance against her magic!” Sabrina exuded confidence as she challenged the mortal. She didn’t know Lilith was powerless and this knife could very well end her existence right here and now. 

“Sabrina…” Lilith warned, her blue eyes wide and fearful. Sabrina’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, wondering why Lilith had not ripped this mortal to shreds already.

A beats silence between them seemed to last a lifetime. Charles pressed the knife harder against her throat, the blade stung as it started the break the surface of her skin. The black spots were taking over her vision and she couldn’t focus.

“Sabrina….” She whispered “let’s just find another soul. Let this one go.” Her breathing shallow.

“Yes, little girl, do what she says.” The man sneered

“No Lilith, he has to come with us, he has to pay for his crimes.” Sabrina argued defiantly.

“I’ll do it I swear!” Charles pressed the knife in further. She hissed as the blade sliced her skin. She could feel the blood start to drip down the side of her neck. Her vision was fading, the darkness edging towards the centre.

“Lilith just teleport out of there what are you doing?”

“Sabrina… please… leave it…” she begged. Her voice stern but desperate.

Part of her had wanted to die. She was full of regret of where she had ended up, powerless and back under Lucifer’s thumb and to die would be a blissful escape. But it couldn’t end like this, at the hands of a mortal. Despite the pain and her faded vision her survival instincts were still strong. The man holding her smelt of sweat and whiskey, the anger and desperation radiated from his laboured breaths. His grip across her was tight, she tried to escape from his clutches but couldn’t break away and the knife just pressed further. Her eyes screwed tight and she cried out at the searing pain. She needed Sabrina to back down before the blade went any deeper.

“Ok Charles. Ok.” Sabrina held up her hands in surrender and pulled the horned demon to step back away. “Just… lower the knife and let her go.”

She could feel the blade tremble against her neck as his hand shook. The grip he held across her loosened ever so slightly and Lilith realised it was the only thing keeping her upright. Her eyes stayed shut as the mortal considered his options.

“You’ll leave? Let me stay here?” He asked sharply, readjusting the knife so the tip dented a fresh patch of her skin, the consequences of his demand clear.

“Yes. Now let her go.” Sabrina’s eyes wide but her tone calm as she reassured the mortal.

She felt the blade disappear slowly from her neck, her eyes watered and she exhaled in relief. His grip on her was still strong, not wanting to let her go. She couldn’t see his face behind her but guessed both the mortal and Sabrina were locked staring each other down. Lilith knew the moment he let go her legs would give way, but there was no regaining dignity at this point. Sabrina already knew something was wrong with Lilith. The fact that she had been threatened like this by a mere mortal and hadn’t ripped the man apart was enough to alert the young Queen of Lilith’s weakness. But the Dark Lord must not find out for she feared what he would do to her.

After an agonising twist around her upper arms Charles pushed her away towards Sabrina. She tried to use her legs but they failed, collapsing harshly in the muddy grass. White hot pain shot through her bones as her knees and hips smashed against the solid mud. Her wrists cracked at the impact as they tried to protect her fall and she couldn’t stop her cries of pain.

“Lilith…” Sabrina ran over and crouched over her crumbled body. “Get after him!” Sabrina shouted at the demon as Charles ran towards the cottage. “Lilith…?”

Her face was almost in the long grass, her upper body curled over her bent legs. The tears stung her eyes as she tried to push herself up with broken wrists. The pain was excruciating. “Don’t…. don’t tell Him.” Lilith whispered through ragged breaths.

“Who? Why didn’t you teleport out of there? Or kill him?” Sabrina voice laced with confusion and concern.

“I… I… can’t….” The ground beneath her swayed and everything was out of focus. Her fallen hair shielding her face from the concerned girl.

“What’s happened to your magic?”

“Don’t… don’t tell Him.” She repeated “… the Dark Lord…” Lilith could barely see - the darkness was coming and she couldn’t fight it anymore.

“But Lilith…”

She lifted her head slowly and looked towards the blurred image of the blonde witch. “Please Sabrina.” She managed to say before her eyes rolled back into her head and she succumbed to the darkness.

* * *

She could hear voices and the familiar scent of pandemonium filled her lungs. Gradually regaining consciousness, she knew she was back in Hell although she couldn’t yet open her eyes. There was pressure under her arms and behind the backs of her knees, her head bounced forward slightly with her chin on her chest. She gradually became aware that her limp body was in someone’s arms and she was being carried.

“Father…. Dark Lord.”

“Sabrina! What in Heaven happened?” Lucifer shouted, his voice distant but fast approaching.

Her eyebrows twitched at the sound of his voice and her insides shivered. She tried to remember what had happened. The image of Charles Main flashed in her mind, followed by the knife and the memory of the pain she felt as she fell to the ground. Her body ached as the memories flooded back, the pains in her wrists and knees throbbing loudly. Her eyes remained shut under heavy lids but her ears listened intently as she heard the Dark Lord come closer.

“We were attacked…and she collapsed.” Sabrina muttered. Lilith could sense the unease in the young girl’s voice. She had begged the Queen not to tell the Dark Lord her powers were gone. She held her breath, waiting, listening.

“Attacked by who? Witches? Daughter, if your old coven has been meddling in our affairs again I swear I will-“ 

“No! No, it wasn’t the coven.” Sabrina interrupted, quick to get her fathers temper away from her old family. “It was… it was the mortal.”

Lucifer scoffed.

“It all happened so quickly. He wouldn’t come with us, he was going to attack me but then took Lilith instead. He had a knife…” Sabrina’s words rushed and full of emotion, Lilith knew her excuse would not appease the Dark Lord.

“A mortal. With a knife?” Lucifer’s voice was slow and condescending. Her eyes were still shut, lids too heavy to lift, mind too fuzzy to focus. But she could sense the Dark Lord was close to her, the hairs on her skin stood up alert and uneasy.

“And then I don’t know, she just collapsed. I… I don’t think she is well Father.”

Lilith’s stomach sank at Sabrina’s admission. It wasn’t an admission of being powerless but it was just as exposing for her. Showing weakness of any kind to the Dark Lord was a mistake. She tried to open her eyes, desperate for a way to get the girl to stop talking, but her body wasn’t listening, it was too weak to respond.

Suddenly a hand was on her face, gripping her jaw forcefully to lift her heavy head. “Lilith.” She heard him drawl. “Wake up!” His hand slapped her cheeks as he tried to force her to regain consciousness. “Has anything happened to my son? Tell me!”

Lilith’s eyes flutter open for a brief moment. Lucifer’s face was inches from her, his anger clear through her warped vision. She tried to speak, mouth slightly open, but was unable to form any words. Her eyelids too heavy, the darkness was returning and her head began to lull forward.

Lucifer pulls sharply at her long hair forcing her head back up, the pain shocking her eyes wide open and a cry to escape her lips. “What have you done?!” He shouts at her.

“Nothing… He’s fine…” she croaked with strength she didn’t have. The swirling pit of darkness hovering at the edges of her consciousness. Lucifer’s grip on her hair was tight, the pain keeping her from falling back into the black abyss. 

“Stop!” Sabrina shouted. “She needs to rest.”

Lucifer let go and her head lolled backwards. She caught a glimpse of the horned demon who’s arms she was in before her eyes closed again and she teetered on the edge of the darkness. 

“Stupid, irresponsible witch! Can’t even look after my unborn son.” Lucifer scorned before turning towards Sabrina “I’m glad you were there daughter, to save your brother. What happened to the mortal?”

“Oh… yes…. he’s in the infernal prison.” Sabrina confirmed, her voice still laced with unease and emotion but confidence still radiated from her successful mission none the less.

“Good. I’m glad _one of you_ has things under control.” Lucifer’s hatred for the first witch evident through the praise for his daughter. “Take her to her room and lock the door before she can do any more harm to my son.”

Lilith felt the demon holding her move, his heavy footsteps echoing in time with the bouncing of her head. As they left Lucifer’s presence her resolve quickly dissipated and the exhaustion took hold. She stopped trying to fight it and everything went quiet as she fell into void.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, hope you're ok.  
> Unfortunately Lilith's going to have a tough time during this stay of execution, it's going to get worse before it gets better.  
> I might have to write some fluffy oneshots in between updating this fic I think.


	7. Locked Doors & Broken Bones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reality sets in for Lilith. Zelda has been called on to help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't help it, I've brought Zelda in. It wasn't part of my original plan but I do so enjoy writing for her. Hope you enjoy.

Her eyes flutter open in the darkened room, the flicker of candles and the fire faintly illuminating her surroundings. The low light confused her, where was she? Turning her head she surveyed the room, trying to piece together what had happened. She was lying on top of a bed, her bed she realised, as she recognised its linen and the nearby furniture. She looked down at her body, she was still wearing her dress and heels that were scuffed and covered in dried mud. She had been unceremoniously dumped on top of her bed and left there alone.

She tried to push herself up but was met with excruciating pain the second her wrists pushed into the mattress. The shock woke Lilith’s disoriented mind and the pieces began to fit together. The mortal, the knife, the blood… her mind raced through the events and panic began to rise within her. Using her elbows, she shifted uncomfortably and sat back against the wooden headboard. Her body was heavy and her movements were slow. A shaky hand rises to touch her neck, she felt the tender flesh and the scab that had formed where the blade sliced her skin. 

Her bruised and muddy knees catch her eye in the firelight and the throbbing starts to echo where she fell. Almost like her body was numb before and the returning memories were reminding her limbs to ache. Sabrina had seen her falter, unable to stop the mortal, and watched as she crashed to the ground powerless. She had tried so hard to keep up her pretence to the rest of Hell but that was gone in an instant. She recalls Sabrina’s eyes were soft with worry, which surprised the First Witch. But it wasn’t Sabrina she was really trying to hide from, it was the Dark Lord. She had kept going day after day, hiding the cracks that had formed and the weakness she was suffering from. Her head high while she broke from within, not wanting to give him any more dominance over her than he already had.

But now he knew; not that she was powerless but that she was weak. Weak enough for a mortal to overpower her and threaten her life with a mere piece of metal. The exposure of her vulnerability, to show her body failing and wasting away was enough for Lucifer to… to…. A wave of nausea swept through her panic as she remembered. Remembered coming back to Pandemonium, the image of his blurred face as he gripped her jaw, but also his voice echoed in her mind – of his instruction to lock her away. Her heart thumped loudly inside her chest and her breathing rattled. _No_. She thought as her anxiety began to spiral. _No, he can’t have locked me away like a prisoner…_

She swung her legs slowly over the side of the bed, the muddy heels falling away from her feet with a thud on the wooden floor. Every bone in her body seemed to ache, even the slightest movement caused searing pains to shoot through her. But that didn’t matter, not right now, her eyes travelled to the door of room and settled on its handle. Her breathing quickened as she looked at the metal lever, the symbol of escape, one she had taken for granted up to this point. Yes, she was in hell and under the Dark lord’s control, but she still had a physical freedom of sorts within the court and pandemonium. The idea of losing what little control she had left in her life, if that handle was locked, well, it would be too much...

Shuffling to the edge of the bed she places her bare feet on the wooden floor and slowly stands up. Her body protests against the movement. She wobbles when she takes a step, having to hold on to the edge of the bed frame. Fighting through the pain she continues, step after agonising step towards the door. Her hands grasping any available surface to steady her frail body. She had to know. Was she a prisoner?

Deep down, she knew the answer. But that didn’t prepare her for the stark reality when it hit. Her slender fingers wrapped around handle but it wouldn’t turn and the lock just rattled in its case - her stomach dropped and it felt like the world had fallen from under her. She staggered backwards as if the handle had just burnt her skin. Her heart pumped violently inside her chest. The panic was overwhelming and she couldn’t breathe. The back of her legs hit the end of her bed, falling backwards she slips off the edge of the mattress and crumbled to a heap on the floor.

She had never been locked away like this - to be trapped within four walls with no physical way of escaping. Lilith never liked small spaces, always making sure a window or door was left open and her magic ready for teleporting away. Her need for open space and freedom of movement was stemmed from the early days. From the garden. She swore when she left that place, from the oppression of Adam and the False God, that she would never let herself be trapped again. Well, at least not physically anyway.

The locked door triggered something deep within her, and combined with her lack of powers and her broken body the tears fell from her eyes and she weeped. She cried for her lost freedom, her lost powers, the pain she felt both physically and emotionally as she curled up on the floor at the foot of her large bed. Just when she finds the strength to survive - she’s faced with another test. A test of patience, of will; but her determination for survival and the crown fades with every new blow. She is tired of fighting. Her breath hitches through her tears, the salt water coating her dry lips. The panic soon gets replaced by exhaustion; her body was still in pain and protesting against her premature movements off the bed. Her eyes had closed though the tears continued to stream past her lashes and down her hollow cheeks. Despite the constant pain the exhaustion took hold and she fell asleep.

* * *

To say Zelda Spellman was shocked to see Sabrina back at the Mortuary would be an understatement. Her niece had disappeared many weeks ago, straight after their defeat of the Pagans, choosing to become the Queen of Hell, full time. A choice that weighed heavy on Zelda. Yes Sabrina had helped them in their fight against the Pagans, but she had promptly turned her back on the coven and her family to go rule over Hell itself. And it had broke Zelda’s heart.

Zelda had been trusted to raise her niece; to teach her and guide her, to be strong and powerful, to be the best that she could be… but that plan never included being Queen of Hell. The guilt Zelda felt that she was unable to steer Sabrina right, unable to stop her being pulled towards the temptations of power that only Lucifer Morningstar could offer. Not that Zelda could ever stop Sabrina doing whatever she damn well wanted, but that didn’t alleviate the disappointment Zelda felt in herself. Her niece seemed different to her, she noticed it the moment she arrived. She was distant, less emotional and there was the echo of darkness in her eyes. Seeing Sabrina in her regal attire within the Spellman Manor really struck Zelda that her niece wasn’t the same young girl anymore.

It was no surprise that Sabrina had only turned up because she needed something; their help. The Dark Lord had requested the presence of a midwife to check on his unborn son, the existence of which was news to Zelda, and her niece had stupidly suggested that she would be suitable for such a task. Apparently, Lilith was with child - the Dark Lord’s, but an incident had occurred and Lilith had collapsed. Fainting and exhaustion were not uncommon in pregnancy and Sabina had seen enough of her patients in the past to know this, but the concern in her eyes for the First Witch made Zelda think this might be more serious than that. 

Zelda hadn’t seen Lilith since she refused her sanctuary at the academy. She knew Lilith would find a way out of her situation; she always did. Lilith looked after number one. She had proved that by abandoning their coven at a time they had needed it most and Zelda hadn’t particularly cared what would happen to Lilith after she shut those doors. It had taken Zelda a great deal of courage to abandon the Church of Night and reform as the Church of Lilith, to change her entire belief system and mould their depleted coven to worship a new deity, yet their efforts were less than rewarded. Zelda was not sure she would ever forgive Lilith for leaving them powerless and at the mercy of the Pagans. However, the news of Lilith’s pregnancy gave her food for thought… one minute Lilith was running from the Dark Lord and the next she was carrying his heir. Perhaps there was more to that story than Zelda knew.

Sabrina had taken Zelda down to Hell in a swirl of flames, the motion pulled behind Zelda’s navel and made her slightly dizzy. She much preferred her usual method of teleportation. Her niece had shown her to the door of Lilith’s chambers but had to disappear back to court, the Queen was needed elsewhere. It was strange to be in Hell, but even more so that this was the world Sabrina now lived in, her new home. She tried not to dwell on the sadness this brought and focus instead on the task at hand. She did not want to be here; she’d had enough of the Dark Lord and Lilith to last a lifetime but she could never say no to Sabrina.

Zelda was surprised to find the door was locked, from the outside, the metal key snug in the mechanism below the handle. She knocked against the wood but heard no reply. Turning the key she unlocked the door and let herself into the room. From what Zelda had seen of Hell, this room was not as extravagant as the rest of the castle. There was no gold ornaments or decorations, no infernal artwork or stained-glass windows - simply rich dark wooden furniture. There was still an air of class and sophistication within the room, from the leather chairs and animal rug by the fire to the impressive four poster bed opposite the door.

“Hello…?” Zelda whispered as she scanned the room for her new patient. Both the chairs and the bed were empty. In the dim light her eyes nearly missed the shadow at the foot of the bed, the silhouette of a tiny body curled up on the floor. It was Lilith.

Zelda rushed over to her. Dropping her medical bag she crouched down and placed a gentle hand on the other woman. “Lilith.” Zelda said trying to wake her. The woman didn’t move. Zelda tried again a bit louder, giving her shoulders a bit of a squeeze as she called out the woman’s name.

Lilith began to stir, her head rising slowly from where it was resting against her knees. Zelda knew Lilith had collapsed but she wasn’t prepared for the sight in front of her. Lilith’s face was hollow and skeletal, the dark circles around her eyes adding to the haunting look of her extremely angular face. Zelda barely recognised her to be the same woman that had swooped into her academy with a headscarf and yellow coat not too long ago. The woman in front of her was an echo of the Lilith she had known and Zelda wondered what in Heaven could have happened.

“Lilith. Are you alright?” Zelda asked when the other woman’s eyes found her own.

Lilith looked confused; her eyebrows furrowed as she surveyed the red headed witch. She licked her lips slowly before she spoke. “Miss Spellman.” Her voice was hoarse, barely a whisper. “What are you doing here?”

“Sabrina sent for me. Apparently the Dark Lord wanted someone to check on his unborn son.” Zelda’s eyes darted down towards Lilith’s stomach but her curled body shielded the view of any evidence of the child. “You’re pregnant?”

Lilith rolled her eyes at the mention of the Dark Lord. “Yes, I’m pregnant.” Lilith shifted uncomfortably on the floor. Zelda noticed her hand wavering over her stomach tentatively before deciding to settle it down on her knee.

“What happened to you? Sabrina said you collapsed?” Zelda had seen many pregnancies throughout her lifetime and career as a midwife, not to mention the most notable one of her sister-in-law’s with Sabrina, a half mortal. But she had never seen a pregnancy effect a witch like this before. The woman looked broken.

“I’m fine.” Lilith snapped at her.

“Well, clearly you are not.” Argued Zelda, noticing the bruising and mud on Lilith’s body. “Come, lets get you on the bed.”

“I don’t need your help.” Lilith shuffled away from the offered hands of assistance, but a grimace flashed on her face at the movement. Zelda could see she was in considerable pain.

“I don’t want to be here either. But Sabrina has asked me to help so I will.” Zelda’s words ring true, she didn’t want to be here. The resentment she felt towards Lilith was strong. She blamed her for not helping her coven, for setting Sabrina on a darkened path, for allowing her to become the literal Queen of Hell. Zelda knew Lilith wasn’t solely responsible for these events but blaming the First Witch was easier than accepting her own guilt and failures.

Lilith averted her gaze, moving her head towards the fire, trying to avoid the offer of help that had been given. Zelda noticed a cut on the woman’s neck. It looked deep; there was a lot of dried blood down her neck and on her dress. Had she been attacked? Sabrina never mentioned anything about a fight. She wouldn’t have believed it – no one would dare attack the Mother of Demons surely, but looking at the frail woman beside her made Zelda rethink. Zelda softened her approach.

“You can’t be comfortable down here. Let’s just get you up on the bed. That’s all.” Zelda put her hands up in mock surrender.

When the brunette nodded slowly Zelda moved to grab her hands to help her up but Lilith cried out with a sharp breath the second Zelda touched her. Zelda let go instantly and noticed the purple bruising on the other woman’s wrists.

“I’m sorry.” Zelda whispered. Both women stared for a moment down at Lilith’s bruises. “May I?” She asked gently placing her own hands out wanting to assess the damage.

Lilith tentatively placed an arm out into Zelda’s open palms. Zelda knew the wrists were broken. The bruising was so severe there was no other diagnosis. What confused Zelda was how Lilith had become susceptible to such a mortal injury of broken bones. “I’m sorry, this might hurt.” Zelda carefully encased the wrist in between her hands and focussed her magic to fuse the bones back together. If it did hurt, Lilith showed no sign except a small tremor of her lower lip. Zelda repeated the process for the other hand. “I can’t do anything about the bruising I’m afraid.” Zelda said when she finished “But that should go down in a day or two now the bones are back together.” 

“Thank you.” Lilith muttered quietly, turning her hands over and rotating her wrists slowly to inspect them.

Zelda desperately wanted to know what had happened but knew she wouldn’t get much of an answer from the brunette. “Shall we try again, get you more comfortable?”

Lilith ignored her outstretched hands of support and shifted onto her knees to stand. Zelda mimicked her actions and followed her as the brunette rounded the bed. She had a sinking feeling that Lilith could collapse at any moment and remained close to steady her should she topple over.

Zelda stood in front of the brunette as she lowered herself on the edge of the bed. Her movements were slow and tentative and now she was sitting upright Zelda could clearly see the swell of Lilith’s stomach that had formed. Zelda was surprised at how much she was showing, she had assumed her pregnancy was a relatively recent event but the bump appeared to be one of 5 months at least. It looked odd against the rest of her body that was thin and fragile. Zelda had so many questions.

“Why don’t you lie down, let me take a look at you?” Zelda asked softly.

“I don’t need your diagnosis Miss Spellman. I am pregnant. Everything is fine. Please just leave.” Lilith sounded exhausted.

“Are you hurt? What happened?” Zelda asked looking down at Lilith’s bruised and muddy knees. She knew she wouldn’t get an answer but tried none the less.

“I’m fine. Please Miss Spellman.” Lilith’s voice cracked as she moved her legs up onto the bed with a grimace. “Just leave me alone.”

Zelda couldn’t ignore the obvious weakness that crippled the woman, watching her struggling to move herself further up the bed. “Has… has someone cursed you?”

Lilith let out a small exhale, avoiding Zelda’s eyes. “In a manner of speaking.”

“What does that mean?” Zelda was getting frustrated.

“What does it matter to you?” Lilith snapped back at her.

“I’ve been charged with checking on your babe. Much as we both resent my being here, and believe me I do resent this, if I’m going to examine you I need to know what’s going on.” Zelda knew Lilith would be difficult, but hoped a direct approach would gain more of a response.

“Examine me?” Lilith scoffed and looked up at her with raised eyebrows, the familial look of judgement bore into Zelda.

“Yes Lilith. In order to check on the health of the child I need to examine you.” Zelda responded in a matching sarcastic tone.

Lilith rolled her eyes but sat back against the pillows on the bed. “Fine. Do what you have to do. But be quick.”

“How far into your gestation are you?” Zelda went to grab her medical bag as she spoke.

“Three months.” The look of distaste on Lilith’s face didn’t go unnoticed by Zelda.

“You’re only three months along?” Zelda clearly failed to keep the surprise from her voice as Lilith looked up at her in confusion. “Oh I’m sure it’s fine, it’s obviously just growing rather well.” _And rapidly_ , thought Zelda.

Zelda began to examine Lilith - taking her blood pressure, pressing her bump gently from every angle to feel the babe inside and measuring its growth. For a three-month foetus it was much bigger than she’d ever seen and Zelda briefly wondered whether Lilith was mistaken about her timings. Lilith unbuttoned the front of her dress to allow Zelda access so she could listen for the heartbeat. It was strong - powerful even. Zelda felt it as well as heard it and it was slightly unnerving. Zelda wasn’t sure why but this pregnancy made her feel uncomfortable.

“Yes, well, it seems to be developing nicely.” Zelda stated calmly, ignoring the unease she felt. She noticed Lilith’s lips curl and her face drained of colour. “Are you ok?”

Lilith swallowed slowly. “Good. I’m glad _the thing_ is fine.”

“The thing?” Zelda questioned, taken aback by the comment. “You mean your child?”

Lilith raised a hand to her mouth. She looked like she was about to be sick. “It’s a parasite.” She muttered behind her hand.

“What do you mean?” Zelda was confused. Was Lilith referring to the obvious changes in her body, her skeletal figure? Was she blaming the babe? Perhaps Lilith was just referring to pregnancy in general, how much to took from a woman’s body when growing new life. Although just looking at the woman on the bed, this pregnancy was certainly taking a lot.

“Never mind.” Lilith exhaled slowly and turned back towards the redhead. “Are we done here?”

“Would you like me to have a look at… those?” Zelda tentatively asks, glancing down Lilith’s body referring to the other bruises on her knees.

“I think you should mind your own business Miss Spellman.” Lilith snapped. “You’ve checked on the child, he’s fine, now please leave.”

“Fine.” Zelda accepted that she wasn’t going to get anything more out of the woman and if she didn’t want her help Zelda was glad to return home. “Your blood pressure is too high; you need bed rest to get your strength back up.” Zelda advises while angrily packing up her medical bag.

“It’s not like I’m going anywhere anyway…” Zelda heard Lilith mutter under her breath.

Lilith’s words rang in her head as she left. It wasn’t until Zelda was on the other side of the door and saw the key in the lock that she realised what Lilith had meant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading :)  
> As always, and like everyone else on here, comments really do make my day if you could spare a second to let me know what you thought.


	8. Somnum Exterreri

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so this is my longest chapter yet lol.  
> Chapter title is 'Nightmare' in Latin.  
> It was difficult to get in everything that I wanted and set the pace of time passing, I hope it doesn't feel too jittery. 
> 
> Trigger Warnings: Violent nightmares / Psychological torment / check tags

### 

_Her dark hair flies across her face_ _as she runs down the long corridor. Her heart pumps violently against her ribs and she can’t feel her feet. The sharp breaths burn her lungs, stabbing with every inhale but she can’t stop, she had to escape._

_Corner after corner she turned, always running - never stopping, her head spinning around to check behind her. The walls kept changing, the corridors were moving. She rounded another corner but it was the same corridor as the one she’d just left. Although she knew she was going around in circles her legs don’t stop moving. All she could feel was panic. The overwhelming need to flee._

_Suddenly the walls around her were on fire. The heat was overbearing. Burning beams crash from the ceiling and she’s thrown to the floor. The whole city is ablaze. The sound of screams fills her ears and she’s sure one of the cries is her own as a pain tears across her middle and she cradles her stomach. The ash and smoke choke her lungs but she continues to move forward, crawling and coughing through the debris of the burning building._

_A sinister laugh echoes loudly through the corridor and down her spine as she desperately tries to find somewhere to hide…_

Lilith awakes with a gasp.

She bolts upright panting, her heart racing inside her chest. She quickly comes back to reality at the sight of her room although her mind and body continue to reel from the images of her nightmare. Her nightdress clings to her and is soaked with sweat while her hands were unconsciously holding her stomach tight. The nightmares were now a regular occurrence for the brunette. They had started not long after the Dark Lord had locked her away in this room and now, she barely had a night sleep that wasn’t plagued with visions of flames and pain. They were always the same – she was running throughout the castle – lost and desperate, going round and around the same hallways and it always ended in destruction. They were so real it deeply unsettled Lilith. She would wake with her body on fire as if the burning flames of her nightmares has scorched her skin. She was never one to be phased by such a mortal trait of bad dreams, yet she struggled to shake the unease these visions brought.

* * *

The isolation was starting to get to Lilith. As her body slowly recovered it was getting harder and harder to stay inside these four walls. Initially she had succumbed to the exhaustion that had crippled her, sleeping for days on end and barely leaving her bed. However, as her strength began to return - her brain went into overdrive.

She couldn’t keep still and moved a lot around her chambers. She sat at every corner, moving from the bed to the arm chairs and back again, even just pacing the room aimlessly. She couldn’t get rid of the unease she felt, like she was constantly on edge.

“The Dark Lord must never find out.” Lilith mutters aloud to herself as she paces the living area, a hand pressed in her lower back.

“I need to be clever, subtle. The delicate persuasion of a woman would go unnoticed.” Her eyes dart left and right as her brain whirs. “But how am I going to get close enough to Sabrina while I’m stuck in here?”

Her plan was still to focus on Sabrina, to get her out of the way in the hope that her absence would allow Lilith to step up while the infant was too young for the throne. It wasn’t ideal but it was her best shot, at least for getting more time, of which was rapidly disappearing. She looked down and couldn’t stop her hand from rubbing her ever expanding middle. She hated to touch it or acknowledge it but the contact was instinctive; the pressure of her palm seemed to ease her body’s discomfort.

Sabrina hadn’t visited her once since she collapsed. She certainly didn’t want to see the insufferable young witch but she worried what was going on beyond the wooden door of her chambers. What kind of mess was she making amongst the traditional and misogynistic infernal court? How much had Sabrina darkened herself with only Lucifer for guidance? If she was to lighten Sabrina’s soul, push her back towards the mortal realm, it would be all the more difficult the longer she stayed in Hell and under his influence. And then there was the issue of actually getting to see the Queen…

“Zelda.” Lilith said aloud. “Yes. That could work.” The red headed witch was her only visitor besides Minion bringing food. She would have to utilise that relationship as best she could.

Lilith’s eyes flick towards the doorway of her adjoining bathroom. She thought she saw something out the corner of her eye… a shadow? She struggled to keep her brain focussed on her plan. The visions of her nightmares plagued her awakened mind.

She walked towards the bathroom but when she entered everything was normal. No-one was there and nothing was out of place. She glances at her reflection in the mirror over the sink. Her face looked less skeletal and her skin had more colour to it these days. She was still too thin, but at least the aches were fading, or perhaps she had just got accustomed to it. 

* * *

_“You’re a dead woman walking Lilith…”_

_She couldn’t catch her breath; her body was shaking._

_“You can’t escape your destiny.”_

_She willed herself to keep running, eyes focussed on the end of the corridor, but the faster she ran the further away the doorway got. The hallway stretched further and further, never ending, as the walls narrowed either side. The voices were so close behind her she was too scared to turn around. They were familiar voices. She would normally fight but her mind was frozen in fear, so she kept running. Faster and faster._

_The walls were closing in on her but she couldn’t reach the doorway at the end. Inch by inch they narrowed until they were almost touching her shoulders but instead of crushing her they were suddenly ablaze and burning her skin. She couldn’t back away as the fire surrounded her on all sides. Dropping to her knees, the flames dancing high above her head._

_She could see the shadows of three figures beyond the fire closing in on her, their silhouettes strong against the burning flames._

_“The child won’t protect you from us!”_

_“No!” She screamed before a black shadow swooped down and a pain ripped across her body._

_Curling up she brought her knees to her head to protect herself. Another blow came from behind, the pain stabbing her back and she cried out. Burning ash filled her lungs and she couldn’t breathe._

_“Whore!” A voice echoed in her mind making her blood run cold despite the surrounding fire._

_The pain was building deep within her as they struck blow after blow against her body. She couldn’t see where they were coming from, the clouds of smoke blurred her vision. The sound of her cries filled the air._

Her own scream jolted her awake.

She looks around the room wildly, trying to ground herself and bring her back from the disturbing dream. Her heart threatened to burst through her ribs. She can barely catch her breath as she struggles to calm the panic feeling from spilling over. She has a strange sense that someone is watching her, the shadows in the corner of her room making her feel sick. She dismisses it, the nightmares won’t make her crack.

After her breathing regained a normal speed, she realised the stomach pains of her dream were not disappearing – if anything they were building in intensity. The ache tugged across her middle, it was tight and pulling at her insides. Wrapping her arms around herself she leant forward instinctively. The agony of her nightmares had never transferred into her waking state before, assuming this was just a physical side effect of her visions….

But the pain continues to build and build, muscles tightening and tearing inside her. Perhaps this was more than just a nightmare. It becomes too much to bear and a whimpered groan vibrates in her throat. Her body urges her to move, to change position. She throws off her covers to get on all fours in the bed and sits back on her heels. Her stomach felt like it was being ripped apart. She clenches her fists in her sheets - knuckles white and elbows shaking.

What was happening to her? To the baby? She pants through the pain. She couldn’t lose this child. It was her leverage… her lifeline… it was the only thing that stopped the Dark Lord from killing her.

As quickly as it built, the pain began to ease and Lilith was able to catch her breath. The hairs on the back of her neck stand on end, she felt uneasy, as if there were eyes burning into her soul. She frantically scans the room but it was empty, just the shadows and fire for company. She held her bump tightly as the ache dulled, rocking slowly forward and back. She was sure someone was watching her.

* * *

She would wake up abruptly every morning from a nightmare drenched with sweat and her skin would burn. She’d promptly shower and wash away the fear that started each day.

She spent her time reading, trying to plan an escape and pacing her chambers. The wooden floors were starting to show evidence of her route round the room as she walked the length of it up and down. Minion would occasionally appear with trays of food but no other company would be bestowed upon the first witch.

The evenings would disappear much like the days, her exhaustion the only reminder to reluctantly take herself to bed and start the routine again

Nightmare. Sweat. Shower.

Read. Plan. Pace.

Then back to bed.

Another nightmare, burning skin, another shower.

Over and over the same routine. She was losing track of time. She had no idea how long she had been stuck in these walls. Days turned into weeks she guessed. Her only guide of the passing time was the steady expanse of her growing stomach.

Minion arrived at the usual time to bring her a tray of food. Lilith was sat on the chair by the fireside, legs crossed, absentmindedly staring into the burning embers. He set the tray down on the coffee table, the sound of the rattling china in his unsteady hands brought her out of her daze. No words were ever spoken between them, not since her imprisonment, and he left the room sheepishly. She wasn’t particularly interested in a conversation with him anyway.

His visit was always a reminder to eat. She was not used to eating much before the parasite had taken hold, but now she felt herself benefiting from the sustenance with her energy and strength returning after meals. As if on cue her stomach growled and she suddenly realised she was famished. Glad for something to do and excited for the food she lifts the cloche from the plate expectantly. However, beneath the metal lid was a plate of decaying food tinged with blues and greens - it was littered with insects that made the moulded meal beat with a pulse-like motion.

Lilith dropped the cloche in shock. The rotted food was nauseating; there were cockroaches and worms intertwined and wriggling, flies hopping and buzzing which now escaped into the room, and then the smell… it was like decomposing flesh assaulting her nostrils and she could almost taste it in the back of her throat. The sickness rose quickly within her but anger got to the surface first. Picking up the plate she threw it into the fire. The china smashed against the stone wall while the food gradually caught alight. The cockroaches scattered from the fire to the corners of the hearth and across the wooden floor.

Rage coursed through her veins and she clenched her fists tight. She knew this was someone trying to break her, to make her crack. The nightmares of fear and flames flashed in her head while the shadows around her mocked her. She raised a hand to her temple, wishing the visions to leave her minds eye, to stop the torture. The anger blended with the panic from her dreams. She felt like she was balanced on a knife’s edge waiting for her inevitable demise.

_No!_

She wouldn’t let them win.

Her stomach rumbles again, the hunger slowly bringing her out of her spiral. Residing to the fact she would not be eating she took herself to her bed and curled up, making sure to face the door of her room with her beaded eyes on the surrounding shadows.

* * *

Lilith wakes up abruptly one night, another disturbing dream sharply pulling her from her slumber. She felt something move inside the bed - her mind playing tricks on her as it races her beating heart. As she focuses on the room around her the images of the shadows and the burning castle slowly fade away. Her breathing slowed.

The nightmares were making her paranoid. With no company during the long days the terror of her dreams were hard to ignore. _“The child won’t save you from us!”_ The threats from the disembodied shadows were real, she knew it. Lucifer would not harm her while she carried his son and heir, but the same could not be said from the rest of the infernal court. She knew she was hated. She had managed to escape immediate death after the return of the Dark Lord and that infuriated the demons of Hell. But they respected him… surely they wouldn’t be so bold and harm her while the future King of Hell resides within her womb?

Waking fully, she feels more movement under the silk covers on her feet and legs. Something _definitely_ touched her. Sitting upright she threw the covers off her body and in the low light she could see the end of her bed was filled with rats. Hundreds of dirty, matted, brown rats with sharp claws and slithering long tails. Lilith didn’t know whether to scream or be sick. They scratched and bit her skin as they clambered recklessly over themselves and her legs.

She shook her legs violently free from the weight of the vermin atop her and jumped out of bed. The shock kept her silent but her heart felt as if it could burst from her chest. She couldn’t tell if her ragged breaths were from anger or fear. Though she was out of the bed she could still feel their claws against her skin. The sight of her unwanted visitors wriggling around the silk sheets was making her nauseous. She had to get away. From her bed. From her chambers. Her safe space had been violated.

Disappearing into her bathroom she collapsed forward over the sink. She struggled to get enough air in her lungs to stay standing. Rats… vermin of filth and disease. First flies and now rats. Her mind raced with images of the three shadows of her nightmares. It was no coincidence. She had hoped Beelzebub had moved on to torturing other souls and had been appeased by Lucifer’s treatment of her. But this _had_ to be his doing. It reeked of the Plague Kings.

But what did they want? She was locked away and the Dark Lord was free. She was no threat. Well not yet. She turned on the tap and splashed her face. The cold water harsh against her burning forehead. She wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of breaking her. Now that she knew who was behind these attacks she was focussed. Determined. Standing up she looked at herself in the mirror. She was Lilith, the first woman, she had survived so much already and she would not let three demons… three _men_ get the better of her.

Striding back into her room with a new purpose she was shocked to find the bed was empty. There were no rats, no dishevelled sheets, no scratched or torn fabric, nothing. She searched around the bed and the floor but there was nothing to be found. But they were here! She thought. She saw them. _She felt them!_

She was too filled with questions and adrenaline to go back to sleep. And she was certainly not getting back into that bed. Instead, she took to one of the chairs by the fireside and curled her legs up beneath her… not wanting her feet to touch the floor.

* * *

Her body was changing, there was no denying it. The physical differences were obvious to even herself now. Though only in her second trimester, the way she moved and carried herself was different. Her strength had returned somewhat but she was still slow in her movements and exhausted easily. She caught herself unconsciously rubbing her bump as she sat in the armchair by the fireside. It wasn’t out of affection, she was just uncomfortable, and the pressure seemed to sooth it slightly. But she hated how she looked – rubbing it like some pathetic, excited ‘mother-to-be’.

Lilith turned when she heard a knock on the door and wasn’t surprised to see Zelda Spellman let herself into her prison. Her only visits were from either Minion or Miss Spellman, who Lilith assumed was now taking on the role of midwife given she had come back for more ‘check-ups’. Lilith had hated Sabrina for bringing her Aunt down to Hell and for allowing Zelda to see her so vulnerable. She had despised the redhead. Zelda turned Lilith away after the Dark Lord had been freed, refusing her sanctuary from his wrath and thus resulting in the very painful situation she was in now. The memory of Zelda mocking her stung… _“The ultimate wild card!”_ Perhaps true, but Lilith had spent a lifetime in servitude. She had suffered abuse from Lucifer, the betrayal of her familiar and Sabrina had stolen the crown and her place as Queen. It was not surprising Lilith didn’t know who to trust. However, despite her initial distaste for the situation, Lilith had to admit she did appreciate the company of another person as she had so little interaction with anyone outside these walls. Even if that person was Zelda Spellman.

“Hello Lilith.” Zelda said as she walked into the room.

“Miss Spellman.”

After shutting the door behind her, Zelda notices Lilith rubbing her stomach with a slight grimace.

“Are you alright?” the redhead enquires, nodding to the other woman’s stomach.

“Yes. Just uncomfortable.” Lilith replied with an exhausted tone, shifting slightly in the chair.

“It’s only going to get worse I’m afraid.” Zelda said, a slight smile tugging at the corners of her red lips.

Lilith rolled her eyes in response. “Great. Thanks.”

The visits Lilith had received from Miss Spellman were so very different to their last interaction in the mortal realm. Zelda actually showed her concern. Lilith knew this was only because she was a midwife and doing her job, but sometimes she thought the care in the other woman’s eyes seemed real. Though Lilith hadn’t shared the details of her situation with Zelda, it was almost as if the other woman knew what it was like to be trapped at the hands of an oppressing man. Against her better judgement, Lilith felt like she could trust Zelda.

“Shall we get started?” Zelda asks and gestures to the bed.

Lilith stills, staring at the bed hesitantly. Visions of the rats plague her mind. She had been avoiding her bed and that area of the room entirely; the violation of her bed and the unwelcome guests had disarmed her more than she cared to admit. However, when she sees Zelda eyeing her curiously Lilith simply nods and makes her way over the other side of the room.

Once lying down on top of the sheets Zelda begins her usual examination. As the woman takes her blood pressure Lilith’s mind focuses on her plan of getting close to the Queen and reigniting her ties to the mortal world. As Zelda is preoccupied Lilith brings up the subject of her niece.

“Have you seen Sabrina?”

“No. Well, briefly.” Zelda responds sharply. “You need to stay away from my niece.” They may have reached a softer level of formality between them but the subject of Sabrina still brought out the protective nature in the redheaded witch.

“That’s going to be hard to do Miss Spellman. She _is_ the Queen of Hell.” Lilith’s tone was dryer than intended.

“Yes, and who’s fault is that? You’re always whispering in her ear, taking her down a dark path.” Zelda’s eyes bore down at Lilith as the blamed the first witch.

“She is the daughter of Lucifer. Her ‘dark path’ was inevitable.” Lilith defended herself.

She might have been guilty of whispering in Sabrina’s ear once, but that was before. Before they worked together to overthrow the Dark Lord, before they prayed to her, before Sabrina _stole_ the throne from her. Any whisperings she did as Sabrina’s regent was simply to try and keep the balance of the realms from toppling.

“I still don’t trust you.” Zelda stated plainly looking away from her and continuing the examination.

“But do you trust her out there, with Him?” Lilith asked, her voice softened to try and appeal to Zelda’s worry for her niece.

“I thought you and the Dark Lord were back together, the dream team?”

Lilith couldn’t stop the roll of her eyes. “Does it look like we’re together? He’s locked me away.” Lilith gestured to the door.

“But the babe-”

“Was necessary to survive.” Lilith interrupted Zelda’s question prematurely. She didn’t know how Zelda could even still think that. The other woman had visited her in a locked room many times. The fact Zelda thought Lilith was still loyal to the Dark Lord was hurtful. “Honestly Miss Spellman, use your brain. We had trapped Lucifer in a human Acheron and I stole his throne. He wasn’t best pleased with that. I needed leverage” The sarcasm dripped from her words.

“And that’s why your pregnant?” Zelda’s eyebrows raised as Lilith confessed the details of how and why she was here.

“It’s buying me time. You know how dangerous he is.” Lilith stressed the seriousness of her words. “And while I’m in here, Sabrina is alone out there with him and the rest of the infernal court.”

There was a moments silence between them. Zelda was clearly pretending to busy herself. Lilith wasn’t sure if she was trying to ignore her warning or was just considering what had been said.

“Look Miss Spellman. _Zelda._ ” She added softly, using her first name purposely. “Hell is a harsh place to navigate, especially for a woman. I fear what might happen out there if I’m not there to protect her.” Lilith knew not to push things or bring up any sort of suggestion of her release, much as she was desperate to leave this room. Zelda would see through that instantly. “If you see her, can you remind her that I am here if she needs to talk. I know how devious and forceful the Lords of Hell can be. I can help her.”

Lilith waited. Would Zelda believe her concerns for the young Queen? Zelda continued to busy herself examining Lilith’s middle and avoiding eye contact. Her brows furrowed.

“Well… we’ll see.” She muttered. “I still don’t trust you but perhaps you are a better influence than the Dark Lord.”

Lilith relaxed internally at Zelda’s confirmation. If Sabrina would only visit then Lilith would know what was going on outside these walls. She would be able to better prepare against the Dark Lord. Lilith was also hoping stirring concerns with Zelda would help reconnect the blonde with her other family and her ties to the other realm. That was vital if she was going to survive this.

Zelda continues to inspect the babe and pressed particularly hard into her stomach causing Lilith to inhale sharply.

“Sorry.” Zelda lessened the pressure but her hands still roamed the circular bump. “It seems to have had a little growth spurt. Has there been anything unusual to note? Have you had any problems?”

Lilith had briefly forgotten the purpose of the visit, her mind too focussed on getting Sabrina out of Hell. She got the impression there was more to this question from the redhead despite the casual air in which Zelda asked it.

“Well I’m not sure what’s ‘usual’ about this pregnancy, but no.” Lilith then remembered the night she woke up in pain. When her nightmares bled into reality and her insides tore. “Well…” she hesitated.

“What? Did something happen?” Zelda asked, the concern had returned to her eyes. Lilith had obviously failed to hide her own fears as the visions repeated in her mind.

Lilith wasn’t sure whether to say anything. The physical pain she had felt was another admission of weakness. She didn’t like to be weak. However, her worries overpowered her and she found herself confessing her concerns. 

“It was a few nights ago, or maybe it was a week. I’m not sure. I woke up from a …. I woke up with extreme cramps. There was a lot of pain. Is that normal?” Lilith couldn’t stop her hand from ghosting her bump where the pains had been.

“Careful, you almost sound like you care about the child.” Zelda’s words were cold and dry.

“Of course I care!” Lilith snapped back instantly. “If I don’t deliver a healthy son to the Dark Lord, I am dead!” She could feel her emotions rising and getting the better of her. “And that’s only half my problems at the moment…” Lilith trailed off.

Zelda was shocked at Lilith’s outburst and guilt flashed on her face. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. What do you mean only half of your problems?”

Pushing herself upright Lilith looks around the room cautiously. She knew they had been watching her, ready to attack and to watch as she suffered. The shadows had eyes and ears. Zelda’s gaze followed Lilith’s around the room. They locked eyes; green laced with concern towards blue. There was nothing dark in Zelda’s eyes and Lilith knew she could trust her. She leant forward towards the redhead.

“They are trying to break me.” Lilith whispered.

“Who? Who’s trying to break you?”

“The Kings. The Plague Kings! Beelzebub has had it in for me ever since we trapped Lucifer, I know this is all his doing.” Her breath quickened as she confessed to Zelda. Speaking aloud brought back the buried fear and panic to the surface, spilling over the façade she had tried to build.

“What are they doing?” Zelda sat on the bed facing Lilith, her eyes soft but confused.

“They’ve attacked me!” Lilith declared almost frantically “Sending their vermin to torture me in the night. Contaminating my food with their plagues.” She didn’t know when her walls had crumbled but she couldn’t stop the avalanche of emotions from escaping. 

“And you think the Kings are doing this?”

Zelda’s calm voice infuriated Lilith, did she not believe her?

“I’ve had nightmares. Visions. Rats in my bed… flies in my food and hidden swarms in my wardrobes. I _know_ it’s them. They’re trying to kill me.” Lilith exclaimed. She knew her isolation was the reason for her outburst, she knew that rationally, but the words continued to escape her. Her mind was desperate for any sort of acknowledgement of what had been happening, that it wasn’t all in her head.

“Nonsense. No one is trying to kill you Lilith.”

“Yes they are! They’re trying to break me but it won’t work! I’ve been around longer than them. I know their game.”

She could feel the rats on her legs again as the memories taunted her. Her breath hitches in her panic. She had to get off this bed. With wild eyes she pushed Zelda aside and went back to her chair, her long hair flying as she looked around the room at the corners and shadows.

Zelda followed the other woman quietly and crouched down slowly by the chair. Lilith felt a gentle hand on her knee, the gesture calming her rising panic and she turned to look at the red headed witch.

“It’s ok. I believe you.” Zelda spoke softly “But you are safe here. Much as you may hate him, the Dark Lord won’t let anything happen to you while you carry his son, I’m sure.”

“But-“

“Shhh.” Zelda hushed as if she was soothing an infant. “You need to try and stay calm. This is not good for the babe.”

Lilith’s breath shook as she exhaled slowly. The resentment she felt towards the parasite inside conflicted with her concern for its health. It’s existence and survival directly linked to her own.

“And the pains? Is it ok?” Lilith hated how meek and worried she sounded.

“The child is fine. He is healthy and strong. Of which I will assure to the Dark Lord.”

Zelda’s hand was still on her knee, the contact keeping her from spiralling into another panic. Lilith was surprised at the relief she felt. Zelda clearly understood the reasons behind her concerns and appreciated the confirmation that the Dark Lord would be assured of his child’s health. It might mean she could get some of her freedom back. She dared to hope. She was suffocating within these four walls.

“I suspect the pains were a side effect from the babe’s little growth spurt. Nothing more.” Zelda’s reassuring eyes looked up into Lilith’s. “I never asked… is this your first pregnancy? In the traditional sense?” The red head gestured to Lilith’s middle.

Lilith went to touch her stomach but clenched her fists instead to stop herself. “Yes. I’ve birthed many a demon but they were creations… never a child from my body.”

“You will be fine and I will be with you.” Zelda softly encouraged. “Like you said, this may be an unusual pregnancy but we’ll navigate it together.”

Lilith offered a weak smile in response. As she calmed down she felt shame in her outburst. The parasite inside and the locked doors were affecting her emotions in a way she had not foreseen. She looked away from the other woman and stared at the ceiling to stop any tears from falling. She cursed herself for being so weak.

Zelda removed the hand from her knee as she stood up and went back to the bed to pack up her things. Lilith immediately felt the loss of contact and tried to focus her mind, to build back her crumbling walls and stop the anxiety from swirling.

“I’ll let the Dark Lord know everything is well and you both are doing fine.” Zelda said as she approached the door to leave.

“And if you see Sabrina…”

“I’ll let her know you want to talk.” Zelda answered Lilith’s question before she could finish it.

Zelda was halfway out the door when Lilith called after her. “Miss Spellman.”

Zelda turned back into the room.

“Thank you.” Lilith whispered.

Zelda lips curved into a soft smile and she closed the door behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wasn't sure on this ending, but I hope you enjoyed the update.  
> Comments welcome and very much appreciated :)  
> Oh and I’m on tumblr with the same name if anyone wanted to say Hi @timelady-queenofhell


	9. The Tears of a Queen

### 

She was getting out of bed when it first happened. Her mind was still reeling from a particularly vivid nightmare and with her shaken movements as she stood, she didn’t think anything of the fluttering in her stomach. It happened again a few days later, but she had not long eaten and assumed that perhaps her dinner was not really agreeing with her. She wouldn’t put it past the Kings to tamper with her food again. It wasn’t until later that evening, when she was in bed propped up on pillows against the bed frame, that she felt it. Properly felt it. The soft flutter inside her body, it wasn’t caused by anxiety or digestion, it was the baby moving.

Her jaw dropped and eyes widened. The tiny life that was growing inside was making its presence known to her. She felt nauseous. The reality of her situation was always at the forefront of her mind. She knew the _facts;_ she knew she carried a baby inside her and she knew that child was Lucifer’s. Yes, she knew all this, yet she was removed from it all somehow. Her mind knowing the events but also blocking out any real thoughts and emotions in order to stay sane.

The Dark Lord’s words rung in her ears. _“You are a host Lilith. Nothing more.”_ She had to swallow the bile that had risen in her throat. The comment had previously washed over her, years of dealing with the infernal government and demons had toughened her resolve, but now… the soft tapping from within her body was a harsh reminder of the parasite that dwelled inside of her and there was no denying its existence.

It felt so… _strange_. As if bubbles were bouncing and softly bursting in her gut. She just sat on the bed looking down at the swell of her stomach. This was really real. It wasn’t some horrific nightmare. She was powerless and the growing movements from within were mocking her. This thing had stripped her from everything she had, all that she was, and left her as a shell. An empty shell that harboured the spawn of Satan.

Her hands hovered over her bump, the curiosity over this new development battled with her disgust at its existence. She knew it was her only method of survival but part of her still wanted to claw at her own protruding stomach and tear it away. As the flutter inside continued, her fascination eventually won out and she pressed her fingers against her skin. Mimicking what she had seen Zelda do, she used both hands to push down firmly, trying to feel what was growing inside. Whilst her insides could feel it her fingertips struggled to find anything; the child was buried within its protective sac. Pressing hard she continued looking until she felt the tiniest lump. Was that it? Was that the child? She released the pressure quickly and sharply removed her hand. Partly revolted at it, but partly because she was scared that she might harm it. This was all new to her and there was too much hanging on the wellbeing of this baby.

Zelda had asked during their last checkup if this was her first pregnancy. She was the Mother of Demons yet the definition of mother was significantly different to Lilith. Her ‘children’ were creations, like the monster made from her rib. She had never been with child, never grew a new life in this way, and the whole process was disgusting.

The movements continued sporadically over the following days. Some were barely noticeable and some definitive enough to make Lilith pause. It never felt more like a parasite than when it moved. Squirming within her as a reminder that her body was not her own. And yet, there was a tiny part of her that acknowledged the movements meant the child was healthy and she felt… relief? 

There was a quiet knock on the door. Lilith looked up from the chair she was resting in and waited to see what fresh hell would be coming in to see her. She knew it wouldn’t be Zelda or Minion. When no one came in Lilith began to think she’d imagined the noise. Then another quiet knock echoed from beyond the wooden door.

“Yes?” Lilith shouted, surprised anyone would wait for her approval to enter the room. She was locked in here; she wasn’t in charge of its visitors.

The door slowly opened and Lilith was shocked to see it was Sabrina. The Queen of Hell herself. Despite her formal attire the young girl did not look well. How long had it been since they’d seen each other, how long had she been trapped here? Sabrina’s white blonde hair hung limp around her face, her flushed cheeks contrasted with the grey circles that sat beneath bloodshot eyes. It was obvious she had been crying.

“Hello Lilith. How have you been?” The young girl walked towards her in an attempt to be casual.

How dare she be so blasé and friendly. It took everything Lilith had not to bite back at the girl. Not to rage about being left to rot and be tortured, stuck in her own personal Hell within these four walls. She took a steady breath and pursed her lips. Instead she offered a large fake smile, pretended that everything was ok and turned the topic of conversation very quickly back to Sabrina. Lilith needed to find out what was going on out there, to get close again to the Queen if her plan was to work. So, she gestured for the girl to come sit next to her on the chair.

Sabrina did not look like herself. The harsh reality of living and ruling over Hell itself looked like it had hit the her like a tonne of bricks. She tried to pretend everything was fine, initially. Rattling off insignificant information about the runnings of the court but Lilith could see the tears begin to form in her eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Lilith asked softly “I’ve told you before, Queens aren’t allowed to cry.” She leant over and wiped a wayward tear that had fallen on the young girl’s cheek.

“It was all too… cruel.” Sabrina’s voice trembled as she tried to keep hold of her emotions. “I didn’t think… it would be so difficult to watch.”

“What was?”

“The Crowley Challenge.” Sabrina turned to face her. “Oh Lilith. It was horrible. There was just so many of them. Hundreds and thousands of men, women and children being dragged to the pits broken and bloodied by the demons. They cried out in pain as they were pulled from the court to their eternal damnation. The way they screamed and pleaded. It was all so barbaric.” The tears fell freely from her eyes as Sabrina relived the events of her story.

“Oh Sabrina. I’m sorry you had to see that. But that is part of what happens in hell, you know that.”

“I know, but there were just so many. So many lives taken.” Sabrina’s breathing shook as her tears slowed.

“They made their choices when they sold their souls.” Lilith tried to keep her voice even, treading carefully. She needed Sabrina to see the true extent and the horrors of Hell to push her towards the light. Thankfully the Crowley Challenge seemed to have done this for her. She just had to be subtle, gentle in her words to push Sabrina ever so slowly away from the influence of the darkness.

“But children Lilith? _Children._ They didn’t deserve their fate.”

“Do any of us…” Lilith whispered accidentally, thinking of her own situation.

If Sabrina has heard her comment, she didn’t acknowledge it. The girl looked away as she disappeared in thought and wiped the tears from her reddening eyes. This was Lilith’s moment. She needed to use Sabrina’s upset to aid her plan. To place doubt in her mind over ruling Hell. Before Lilith could work out how to nudge the girl in the right direction, the baby decided to shift suddenly which caught her off guard.

Lilith inhaled in surprise and placed an unconscious hand on her stomach.

“What?” Sabrina asked, too wrapped up in her own world to notice Lilith’s hand placement.

“Nothing. The baby just moved.” Lilith forced a smile. She knew this was something people would normally be excited about.

“How is he? Is everything ok?” Sabrina looked down at Lilith’s bump as if noticing it for the first time. “You look so different now.”

“He is fine. Your Aunt has assured me everything is ok.” Lilith pauses, realising where to go next to move her plan along, and gently leads the conversation towards the girl’s precious family. “She’s been looking after me, your Aunt Zelda, checking over the babe and making sure everything is as it should be. Have you… have your seen her on her visits?” She raised an eyebrow inquisitively and hoped her tone was casual enough.

Sabrina looked away again but Lilith caught the hitch in her breath as she stifled a sob.

“Yes. I’ve seen her.”

Lilith didn’t say anything, just waited patiently for Sabrina to continue her thoughts and hopefully confide in her.

“It was really nice to see her.” The quiver in Sabrina’s voice was evident.

Lilith placed a gentle hand on the girl’s shoulder. “You miss her, don’t you?”

“Yes.” Sabrina sobbed and the walls holding in her emotions came crashing down. “I miss her so much. I miss them all.”

Extending her arm fully Lilith wrapped it around the girl and let her cry on her shoulder. This was good, Sabrina was more broken than she could have hoped for. If she was already horrified by the workings of Hell and missing her family it shouldn’t take too much to push her over the edge and doubt her decision to be Queen. Lilith stroked a comforting thumb on Sabrina’s arm as she held her and offered the occasional soothing hush as she cried. Lilith wasn’t sure where this instinct had come from but it seemed to be working.

“I’m sorry you miss your family Sabrina. But you have family here. Although I admit your father isn’t going to be offering the comforting hugs I’m sure you used to get from your Aunt Hilda I’m afraid.”

“I wish I could see them again. But I don’t want them anywhere near this place.”

“That’s understandable. Well, perhaps there might be another way.”

Sabrina lifted her head from the first woman’s shoulder and sat back to look at her.

“What do you mean?”

“Why don’t you visit them? Go to the mortal realm?” If Sabrina went back and saw her family, her home, Lilith was sure she wouldn’t want to come back. It was perfect.

“Can I… can I even do that? I agreed to be Queen of Hell. Lucifer made it clear there was no going back there.”

“What Lucifer doesn’t know, won’t hurt him.” Lilith said with complete confidence tucking a hair behind Sabrina’s ear. Although the girl did have a point; the Dark Lord would never let her return. Sabrina looked at her confused and Lilith’s stomach sunk as she knew what she would have to do in order for Sabrina to make this journey.

“I’ll cover for you Sabrina. Take a trip up and see your family. You can transport yourself up there and be back before anyone notices your gone.”

“How will you cover for me? I thought you were locked in this room?”

Oh, so Sabrina was fully aware of Lilith’s situation but simply didn’t care enough to do anything to help her. Of course, she shouldn’t have thought anything else from the self-centred teen. This damn girl would be the death of her.

“Well, yes, yes I am. But that is exactly what I’ll be discussing with the Dark Lord. I will keep him busy while you disappear to see your family.”

“You would do that?”

“Of course. I know better than most how difficult it can be here. Especially for a woman trying to navigate through the patriarchal infernal court. If this is something that would help you, I will do what I can to assist.” Lilith tried to keep her eyes as soft and reassuring as possible. Her flawless performance skills in order to lie and persuade Sabrina came back like old habits.

Sabrina’s face lit up at the thought of being able to see her old family again and she quickly threw her arms around Lilith and forced her into a hug. “Thank you.” She whispered with such emotion Lilith could almost feel it on her skin. For some reason Lilith’s arms reached out and awkwardly returned the embrace.

* * *

Lilith wasn’t thrilled at the idea of seeing the Dark Lord again, he had not visited her the entire time she had been locked in this room. A fact she was extremely grateful for. The never-ending nightmares and torture from the Kings were more than enough to contend with without adding Lucifer to the mix. She knew he was keeping tabs on her, getting regular updates from Miss Spellman and Minion no doubt. The last time she had seen him she was half conscious following the attack by the mortal. It still pained her that the Dark Lord had ever seen her display such weakness. But she felt much stronger now, and perhaps she was able to deal with him, for a short while. If only to help Sabrina getting closer to abdicating the throne.

Her footsteps echoed loudly as she paced the room, waiting anxiously for his arrival, her hands twisting in front of her. She had demanded he visit her, having thrown quite a tantrum to force the issue. She was carrying his child, the least he could do was to visit and check on their well-being. She was not some prisoner to just be forgotten about. Well, that was the route she was going down with this haphazard plan to distract the Dark Lord.

She halted when she heard the familiar turning of the key in the door. Any confidence she had found nearly vanished at the imminent arrival of her captor. She felt queasy. With a steadying breath she put her walls up, brick by brick. She would not crumble again.

“Hello Lilith.” His voice a slow soft drawl sending shivers down her spine. He was wearing his usual low-cut open jacket that was too tight for his muscular angelic form. The arrogance radiated off of him, sucking the air out of the room.

“Dark Lord.” She dipped her head. She knew he wouldn’t like being summoned in this way and thought best to open submissively.

“I hear you caused quite the disturbance trying to get my attention.”

“Not your attention but, yes, I wanted to see you.”

“Pray do tell Lilith.” She opened her mouth to speak but she faltered. His ability to disarm her made the words catch in her throat and she stayed silent for a moment. “I’m a busy man Lilith. I don’t have all day.”

“You haven’t been to visit me. I would have thought you would want to see how the mother of your son is doing.” She says finally with an air of sophistication and sass, determined to stand her ground against his short temper.

“You are not the mother of my son. You are nothing more than a vessel Lilith. And I am perfectly aware of how my son is doing, Ms Spellman has been keeping me abreast of his developments.”

The mention of Zelda makes her mind spiral. How much had the woman told him? Lilith knew she was keeping Lucifer informed the child was healthy, but Lilith had also openly broken down in front of the redhead. Had she told him she was at breaking point? No. She can’t have. He would have used that to his advantage by now, surely? 

Lilith understood she was trapped here and he would not easily be inclined to release her from this room, however, now she was face to face with him, she found a confidence in herself. The child moving inside reminding her of the cards she had left to play. She knew not to push things or ask for her freedom but she _was_ carrying his child and there were some advantages to that. She danced around perfectly balancing her submission with strength. He responded to a little defiance, but it had to be well placed.

“Well I’m bored, and I need new clothes. The only things that fit me are these damn robes.” Lilith stated with a huff. The clothes in her wardrobe had gotten too tight long ago, leaving her silk night dresses and robes as the only garments that could accommodate the swell of her stomach. Her hands were automatically drawn to the underside of her bump as she spoke to make the point.

His dark eyes looked her up and down with gleeful pride at his growing heir.

“So I see. Look at you Lilith. You are positively glowing.” He stepped towards her closing the distance between them. His eyes never wavering from her middle. Her breath catches in her throat as he touched her, his fingers roamed over the fabric of her dress that was stretched tight with his unborn child.

This game was familiar, she had played it many times before. Now the nausea of early pregnancy had passed, her poker face was unbreakable. She didn’t flinch at his touch, though the fingertips felt like needles on her skin. She looked up through batted eyelids as he held her possessively. She didn’t push him away, she let him have this moment. It was one thing having information about the child and quite the other to see evidence of his son so clear and tangible. It obviously pleased him.

“He is strong my Lord.” Lilith whispered.

“Of course he is. My son.”

“Yes.” She breathed; her voice laced with seduction to fan his arrogance. “He will be a fierce heir to the throne.”

To any onlookers, they looked like the perfect couple. Proud soon-to-be-parents. United in their touch on the unborn child in her womb. She buried her disgust deep inside, she had to keep him busy and distracted. He hummed softly in acknowledgement to his son’s promising future. One hand had snaked around to the small of her back while the other pressed firmly over the widest point of her stomach. She was trapped in his wandering arms.

“He will be a formidable King of Hell.” She said proudly, her thin red lips curved into a smile that matched his own glee.

His hands abruptly stopped and squeezed tightly on her hips. “What?!” His tone changed on a dime. No longer blurred with pride; there was a sudden anger boiling beneath the surface. His touch began to pinch as he squeezed.

She inhaled sharply at the change in atmosphere.

“Sabrina is the rightful ruler of Hell. My son will be heir, yes, but **Sabrina is Queen.** ” His eyes glazed with a darkness that Lilith knew only too well.

“Of… of course my Lord. I didn’t mean…”

“What are you planning Lilith?” Lucifer moved closer forcing her to step backwards.

“Nothing. I’m not planning anything.” She breathed, the fear was creeping up from her stomach and she continued to back away until her shoulders made contact with the wall behind her.

“Sabrina is Queen and this child will not change that!” He was so close, their noses almost touching. His large hands were suddenly round her neck. She tried to escape but the back of her head hit the concrete.

“I know. I know.” She panicked. “I’m not trying anything… I swear.” She choked.

As his fingers clamped tight around her throat, she felt a pain build up in her stomach. The babe was moving, _fiercely_ , it was so powerful. Her eyes widened and her hands flailed to try and clasp at her bump. It was excruciating. It was electric. It was… magic?

“Uhhhh.” She whimpered. Her blue eyes rolled before closing with a grimace. “Lucifer… please. The baby.” Her throat was closing, she couldn’t breath, her stomach was pulsing a powerful force through her body that she couldn’t explain. It was too much.

He let her go, releasing the forceful hands from her neck. She fell forward into him. Her face pressed to his chest and she grabbed his forearms for support to stop herself doubling over. The wave of pain, or was it power, was overwhelming. Every pore on her body stabbed with electricity while her throat wheezed to take in the air that had been denied her.

“Get up. I barely touched you.”

“Whoa.” She exhaled at the new sensations within her, ignoring his instructions, her slender fingers still gripped his jacket sleeves. The babe was shifting inside and with every movement sent a pulse down to her toes and up her spine. Her legs trembled as her body was overtaken. She wasn’t sure if it was from pain or just the shock. She didn’t care that she was clinging to the Dark Lord for dear life.

“I said. Get. Up!” He forced her body upright and she backed against the wall voluntarily this time. Her hands curled around her front encasing her bump. “What’s wrong with you?” He asked.

She couldn’t tell him. She wasn’t even sure she could explain what was happening herself. The power inside was borderline painful. Was that from the child? She felt it so strongly, like nothing she had experienced before. She could almost taste it. It flowed in her veins, the echo pulsing through every muscle and every cell, it was intense. The energy within was simultaneously strengthening and weakening her body. She held her middle tightly, frozen to the spot.

“Well? What’s wrong with you now? I know he is fine, you can’t fool me with your tricks Lilith.”

“Nothing. I wasn’t…” she stumbled on her words. “He just moved that’s all.” She offered a weak smile as reassurance, keeping whatever was happening to herself. “I think he’s just a bit restless. As is his mother.” She chanced a daring glare at Lucifer as she rubbed her stomach reminding him that her comfort was directly linked to his son’s well-being.

“You are not leaving this room Lilith. But, perhaps I can arrange for more books and clothing to be delivered.” Lucifer’s tone was empty of the previous anger, which seemed even more unnerving. “Besides, that dress won’t last much longer at the rate my son is growing in there.”

He pushed aside Lilith’s protective hands and placed his own firmly on her stomach once more. “You say he’s moving now?”

Regaining her composure and ignoring the pulsing force that flowed through her veins, she softly smiled. “Oh yes. He’s very active.” She hated the parasite inside just as much as she hated his touch, but both were playing a vital role in her survival that she swallowed her hatred and played the dutiful mother-to-be. “Although I’m not sure it can be felt just yet from the outside.” She was desperate for his hands to be removed from her sensitive skin.

Still they roamed and pressed and squeezed. She tried hard not to squirm.

“Soon my boy. Soon you will be here and I’ll show you all the wonders of Hell.” He spoke only to her stomach, his eyes burnt with possession and pride.

Not too soon, she hoped. She still had a long way to go in her plans of survival. She prayed Sabrina’s visit to the Spellman’s had been worth this torturous encounter. Sabrina must abdicate the throne. Her life depended on it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you liked this update  
> Comments welcome, needed, and very much appreciated. Please and thank you muchly :)


	10. The Trace of Magic

### 

Ever since her trip up to the mortal realm Sabrina had been spending more and more time in Lilith’s quarters, the young girl taking refuge when the pressures of Hell got too much. For the Queen this room was an escape, yet for the first witch these four walls were still very much her prison, made even worse by the frequent appearances from the insufferable teenager.

The visit to the Spellmans had done what Lilith had hoped though – Sabrina’s ties to the mortal realm and her family were now stronger than they had been in months. It was clear the young girl missed them - her family, her friends, and the life she had given up. Many a night Sabrina would come bursting into Lilith’s chambers sobbing. Lilith struggled to contain her aggravation when the blonde would crumble onto the bed crying over some inferior demon who had belittled her or touched her. Or from another particularly excruciating torture of an ‘innocent soul’ she had been forced to witness. Lilith had gone from complete isolation to the Queen’s Agony Aunt.

Under normal circumstances Lilith would not have had any sympathy for the girl; Lilith had lived a thousand lifetimes in Hell suffering the same fate which Sabrina couldn’t even handle for five minutes. Was it the girl’s youthful naivety or was Sabrina just delusional? This was literally Hell; it was never going to be filled with rainbows and unicorns.

Either way, through her frustration Lilith was pleased to see that with every irritating visit the young Queen cracked just that little bit more. It was perfect.

What wasn’t perfect was Lilith herself. During the Dark Lord’s visit, when his forceful hands had wrapped around her throat, something awakened inside her that she could not explain. It didn’t happen often, and it was brief and sporadic, but sometimes a force would sweep over her entire body flowing through every nerve and vein. It wasn’t painful but it was overwhelming and an abuse on her senses. It burnt every cell of her body the way whiskey tingled and scorched a mortal throat.

This new development in her already torturous pregnancy unnerved her. Lilith had no idea what this was or where it had come from. It was clearly magic, that was certain, but the type of which that roamed inside her was unlike any Lilith had come across before. It scared her. Thankfully the waves were not a regular occurrence and Lilith successfully buried any fear along with all her other emotions. She had to focus on her plan, on Sabrina, and the abdication of the throne. 

Sat in the armchair by the fireside, Lilith readjusted the cushion behind her back which was aching more often with the expansion of her stomach. She was approaching 7 months, already at the halfway point, and all she had achieved was to have spent the majority of this pregnancy confined to this blasted room. Lucifer had come through on his promise and a great selection of garments now hung in the wardrobe which could accommodate her changing body. She was pleased to be wearing something other than nightwear having felt a bit exposed in the thin satin fabrics. She struggled to listen to Sabrina rattle on about her day from across the room, who was sat cross-legged on the bed, often making herself ‘at home’ inside Lilith’s prison.

“…and then he said I had to decide between sending the sweet old lady to the Forrest of Torment or the Tombs of Madness while leaving the 11-year-old boy to go to the other. How could I have made that choice? Neither of them deserved either fate.” Sabrina looked down at the fabric of her dress that was stretched from knee to knee, not really speaking to Lilith, merely talking aloud. “When I failed to decide on the fate of these souls Beelzebub took over and ordered their sentence, told me not to worry my ‘ _pretty little head’_. It’s too difficult to make these decisions yet when I try and stop them, I get undermined at every turn.”

“Beelzebub does have a tendency to revel in the degrading of women, believe me I know. I had thought the trait might have been more lenient towards a Queen yet again we find ourselves disappointed in the patriarchy of Hell.” Lilith voice was dry and cold.

“I hate it here.” Sabrina stated prompting a glare and raised eyebrows from the first witch who took personal offence from Sabrina’s lack of tact or acknowledgement to Lilith’s own situation, which was grievously worse than the Queens.

“We have both made decisions that led us here Sabrina, now we must face them.” Lilith wasn’t sure if she was playing the girl with reverse psychology or whether she was just exhausted from pandering to all the whining. Her fingertips were unconsciously tracing small circles on her bump where the child inside wriggled softly.

“I don’t understand why the Kings have suddenly got it in for me? They recognised me before, bowed and respected my rulership.”

Lilith let out a long exhale. “They can smell weakness Sabrina, sniffing it out like rabid dogs, and once they find it, they won’t let go. Now the glory of your coronation is long gone, they know your father’s eyes are no longer watching. It is him they respect, not the crown not the title, _him._ They can do what they like in the shadows, and they know it.”

Lilith was glad to know she was no longer the focus of the Kings entertainment, however their torture of the Queen meant Lilith still had to suffer – being forced to listen to complaints from Sabrina on a daily basis. But it would be worth it, not long now, and soon the girl would be ready to admit she’d made a mistake.

“Surely, they know I could just tell him, my father, what they are doing?”

“Why haven’t you then? Why are you hiding in here instead with a prisoner on Death Row?”

“I… I don’t know.”

“Because you know what would happen.” Lilith answered for her. “You’d either not be believed or the Kings would simply be excused from their actions. There would never be any consequences.” Lilith’s defeat was clear in her voice but she didn’t care. It was about time Sabrina learnt the way of the world, life wasn’t fair and no crown on her head was going to exempt her from the injustices that women suffered.

“But I’m the Queen… I’m his daughter…” Sabrina clung on to the delusion that Lucifer might actually care for her.

“Then go and tell him.” Lilith prompted and gestures towards the door, calling her bluff.

Suddenly the familiar trace of magic began to bubble inside Lilith, faint, but that wouldn’t last. _No_. She didn’t want it to happen now, not in front of Sabrina. She didn’t want anyone knowing. Stealing her gaze away from the Queen and their conversation, Lilith shifted slightly in her chair preparing herself for what was about to happen.

“Lilith?” Sabrina noticed they change in the expectant witch and began to move off the bed towards her.

“Just leave Sabrina.” She snapped, her eyes avoiding the approaching girl and staring into the fireplace. Lilith didn’t have time to force her out of the room before it would hit.

It started in her lower back, spreading higher up through her body and down to her calves. The electricity shot through her spine like a wave causing her back to ripple and straighten. Holding the sides of the armchair, her eyes rolled beneath closed lids at the sensation travelling her body and her head tilted back when the wave hit her neck.

“What’s wrong?”

Lilith ignored Sabrina’s question. Every cell in her body suddenly alert and tingling, each muscle slightly tensing as it travelled down her arms and fingers.

“Did you just see…” Sabrina paused, worry and confusion laced her words.

As quickly as it came, the sensation began to fade and Lilith took a few steady breaths. She kept her eyes closed for a few moments longer than necessary, knowing the girl was next to her and Lilith wasn’t ready to explain. She didn’t know that she could.

When she opened her eyes, she found Sabrina hovering over her with bushy eyebrows furrowing in concern.

“What was that?” Sabrina asked.

“Nothing.” Lilith waved her hand dismissively.

“It didn’t look like nothing. Are you ok?” Sabrina placed a tentative hand on her shoulder but Lilith shrugged it off. 

“Yes Sabrina. I’m fine.” Pushing herself awkwardly up from the chair, she walked away from the girl and out of reach. She didn’t want to be touched.

“But what happened?” Sabrina pushed the question again.

“Just leave it!”

“But surely-“

“I don’t know!” Lilith snapped.

Sabrina paused. “What you do mean you don’t know?”

“That I don’t _know._ What that was or what it means.” Facing the fireplace, she pressed a palm against the mantle. She shifted her weight from side to side trying to shake off the pins and needles feeling the remaining magic had left in her veins.

“I think you should see Zelda.”

“I don’t need anyone’s help, especially your Aunt’s.” Lilith had already shown too much of herself to the redhead, she would not allow anymore weakness to be witnessed.

“But she’s your midwife-.”

“And the baby is fine.” She insisted rubbing the side of her growing bump. “I can feel him moving. This has got nothing to do with the child.”

Lilith could feel Sabrina’s retort on the edge of her tongue but the words never came. They stood in silence, neither one wanting to break the atmosphere. Her delicate hand continued to hold her stomach instinctively, feeling the gentle taps beneath as the child inside shifted. Lilith had lied. This had everything to do with the parasite inside her, it had to. But what could Zelda do about it? This went far beyond the knowledge of the average Wiccan midwife.

“It’s not normal Lilith. I _really_ think you should see my Aunt Zelda.” Sabrina muttered breaking their impasse.

Lilith rolled her eyes. The girl looked nervous but continued to speak. “I think… I think I saw something. Aunt Zee will know what to do. Let me get her and bring her down here?”

Letting out a long exhale Lilith considered her options. She did not want anyone finding out about this. Her extremely long lifetime had taught her that people did not react well to things they did not understand. The witch trials showed humanity for what it was; to judge and kill anything that was beyond their own comprehension. The worst of humanity was magnified tenfold in Hell on the best of days. If Lucifer or any demon discovered Lilith was not in control of her body, or harboured anything unusual inside her, her fate could be thrown into immediate jeopardy. They would question what lived in her belly and she had no way to prove she carried his son and Heir.

Yet the well-being of this baby was also critical to her continued survival. Perhaps it would be good to know the babe wasn’t in danger. If Lilith were to agree to a check up, Sabrina would have to go visit her family again to collect her Aunt. It could be another push towards the success of her plan, showing the life Sabrina was missing out on and what she could have again if she left pandemonium.

“If you must. You can bring your Aunt down for a check up.” Lilith feigned a reluctance convincing Sabrina she had won. “But you must _not_ tell the Dark Lord about this.” She added.

“Ok, but I’ll need something to tell him to explain why I’m going up to my family and returning with my Auntie…”

“Tell him it’s a routine check up. Just… don’t let him see anything is not as it should be.” Lilith hated herself for the warning she had to give. “I don’t want to worry him unnecessarily.” Lilith added. She wasn’t sure where Sabrina’s loyalties were and could not risk open blasphemy against her father.

* * *

“This better be important Lilith. I was in the middle of a very delicate meeting with the Hedge Witches.” Zelda stormed into the room like she owned the place, Sabrina was in her wake catching the wooden door as it swung violently on its hinges.

Uncurling her legs from beneath her, Lilith slid off the bed and marched towards the angry redhead. How dare she come in here shouting and disturbing her! There was very little that Lilith could control these days, stuck inside these walls for months, and she would be damned if she’d let Zelda crash in here and take over.

“This was _not_ my idea Miss Spellman!” Lilith shot a glare at Sabrina who was closing the door behind her aunt. “And I’d appreciate you keeping your voice down.”

“I’m sorry Auntie, it was my suggestion. But something is not right with Lilith. I thought you’d be able to help her.”

“She looks perfectly fine to me.”

“As I told your dear niece, I am fine. There was no need to bring you here.” Lilith said defiantly. After Zelda’s rude and confrontational arrival Lilith’s walls were instantly back up and she had no intention of sharing anything with this woman.

“She’s not okay. She’s been getting pains; I think it’s the baby.”

This news made Zelda’s face slightly soften though the distaste for being summoned still flared in her eyes. “What kind of pains?” Zelda asked Lilith.

“It’s nothing. Your niece is being dramatic as usual.”

“Fine.” Zelda snapped before turning back to Sabrina. “See, I tried. Now can I go back to my meeting?”

“Safe travels.” Lilith muttered sarcastically and span around quickly returning to her bed. Before she could lower herself on the mattress the baby inside made a sharp jab at her kidney, more forceful than the soft tapping she’d felt before. She couldn’t help the sharp inhale as she clutched her stomach.

“What’s wrong?” Sabrina started towards her but stopped hesitantly, now standing directly between the stubborn midwife and expectant first witch.

“Just a kick. I told you he’s fine.” Lilith smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring expression. The quick jab at her insides gave her pause, like the baby was giving her a sign, although Lilith knew that was a foolish notion. “However, as you’re here… perhaps a quick check would be prudent.”

Zelda pursed her red lips and crossed her arms, her eyes wondering over Lilith’s frame and settling on her expanded stomach that Lilith held almost protectively.

“Auntie. Please.” Sabrina insisted but used none of the regal authority she often commanded, this plea was a softer one, from family. Sabrina walked closer to her Aunt and whispered in hushed tones though Lilith could still hear. “ _I saw something. Something I’ve never seen before. You need to check the baby is ok_.”

Lilith was surprised at how much these words filled her with panic. Was something really wrong with the babe? She felt fine. The waves were cause for concern, yes, but Lilith was sure the child was perfectly satisfactory in there. She turned her head away from the whispering Spellmans to hide the fact she’d overheard.

“Very well.” Zelda stated as she bundled past the Queen and towards Lilith. “Lie down on the bed and I’ll take a look at you both.”

Lilith was tempted to bite back, Zelda’s orders not appreciated by the first witch, but she swallowed another sarcastic retort and did what was asked.

When Lilith lifted up her blouse exposing the pale skin of her baby bump, Zelda was glad the two women had got to a routine that required little conversation. She had a simple job to do and was appreciative not to get dragged into this mess anymore than was absolutely necessary. It was surprising to see how her niece and the first witch were interacting, their relationship seeming to have changed in recent months, they were almost _friends._ Still, that was not enough for Zelda to give any more concern to the woman’s situation. As long as her niece was happy and safe, she would stay out of this as much as she could.

Getting her instruments out of the medical bag she had brought with her, Zelda commenced her usual checks on the unborn babe. Size, position, heartbeat; all as they should be. The babe was still slightly on the larger side for how far along Lilith was, but there was no real cause for concern at this stage. The child was obviously receiving all that it needed to grow healthily.

With her hands on Lilith’s exposed flesh, measuring the curve and growth of the bump, Zelda was surprised when Lilith spoke.

“Well? Is he ok?” There was clear apprehension behind the first witch’s eyes as she lay on the bed looking up at Zelda.

“He is strong and growing steadily. All seems well here.” Zelda removed her hands and begun wrapping up the tape measure she’d used to measure Lilith’s growing stomach. She could feel the woman visibly relax at this news.

“What about the pains?” Sabrina interrupted, who was standing annoying close to Zelda. “ _What I saw.”_ She added, whispering only to her Aunt.

Zelda looked down at Lilith on the bed, raising an eyebrow to prompt an answer to the question her niece had just asked. The expectant witch had not confessed to any pains and implied Sabrina was just being dramatic. Whilst likely to be true, Zelda would not be able to assess the situation if she was not given all the relevant information.

“There are no pains. He just kicks and moves a bit sharply.” Lilith stated casually then avoided their eyes.

Zelda could see Lilith was hiding something, clearly uncomfortable in their questioning. Having confirmed the babe was healthy, Zelda has no inclination to delve deeper into whatever Lilith had gotten herself into. She needed to get back to the Academy and her meeting.

“Lilith… you need to tell her. She’ll be able to help.” Sabrina, it seemed, wasn’t going to let this go.

Lilith responded with an eye roll and a dismissive shake of her head.

“Or do I need to go get my Father?”

“No!” Lilith said sharply, her wide eyes shot directly at Sabrina.

Zelda couldn’t miss the panic that radiated off the first witch at the mention of the Dark Lord. She remembered their appointment a few months back, when Lilith had broken down rambling about someone trying to kill her. She had put it down to early third-trimester hysteria but perhaps there was some truth in her accusations after all.

Lilith took a rapid intake of breath. “Oh no…” she muttered quietly. Her hips wiggled on the bed as she seemed to readjust herself, the exposed bump swaying in the movement.

Zelda noticed the woman had balled her fists and closed her eyes; her body was now rigid.

“This is what I saw.” Sabrina whispered to Zelda. “Look.”

Small flashes of white seemed to glow within Lilith’s veins. Starting on her stomach, the tiny glimmer charged across the curved skin, disappearing in the blink of an eye. The ethereal lights were travelling through her veins at speed, leaving her core they could be seen darting down each arm and leg. Lilith’s body appeared to tense as the wave passed through, her chest lifted off the bed briefly as her head was thrown back into the pillow.

Zelda had never seen anything like this before. In all her years of midwifery for the Church of Night they had seen their fair share of unusual pregnancies and births, but Zelda had remained quietly confident in her skills and proud of her track record of never losing a child. As the tiny glowing dots raced across Lilith’s body and disappeared at her fingertips Zelda was taken aback. This was beyond her realm of knowledge.

Sabrina was worryingly gazing at Zelda but there was hope in her eyes – as if the girl was sure her Aunt would have all the answers and could explain this with ease and rationale. It broke Zelda that she couldn’t. This pregnancy had always made her slightly uncomfortable, previously she had attributed this to who the expectant mother was, but now she realised it was more than that.

Lilith’s body started to relax on the bed, her chest rising and falling with deep breaths. Her eyes flickered slowly open and looked up at both Zelda and her niece. The three women stayed silent, perhaps each knowing the severity of what had happened, or confusion and shock simply halting their power of speech.

“What do you think it is Aunt Zee?” Sabrina asked quietly switching her gaze between the women and looking at Zelda with such trust.

“I’m sorry to say I have not seen this before.” Zelda admitted. “How long has this been happening Lilith?”

The first witch pulled down her blouse to cover her exposed skin, a slight look of embarrassment crossing her face. Pushing up on her elbows, she moved heavily on the bed and sat up against the pillows, her hands pulling and twisting the fabric that was covering her bump.

“A few weeks maybe…” Lilith confessed, looking down at her twiddling fingers. “It’s nothing.”

“Perhaps.” Zelda did not wish to cause more worry in both her niece and the first witch than was necessary. “How often are these… episodes? Are they painful?” 

“No.” Lilith answered honestly looking up, directly making eye contract with Zelda, the walls and bravado of earlier seemingly evaporated. “They’re just a bit… overwhelming. Like my body can’t do anything else except brace against it.”

“Do you mind if I...?” Zelda gestures to Lilith’s arm to take her pulse. It was racing. Zelda could feel the remnants of magic on the other woman’s skin, the electricity that echoed in her fingertips.

“This is highly unusual Lilith. It is clearly a form of magic, but I have a feeling you already knew that didn’t you?” Zelda released Lilith’s arm and her eyes scanned the rest of Lilith’s body for any other signs of magical activity but it had already disappeared.

“Yes, I was aware of that. But… this is not my magic…” Lilith blue eyes looked down at the swell of her stomach, confirming to Zelda that she too had come to the same conclusion.

“You think it’s the child’s?” Zelda asked softly. If this child was displaying powers from the womb… that was extremely disconcerting. Zelda had never heard of such abilities being recorded before. It made her wonder what the future held with this child born to be at the helm of Hell.

“I’m not sure. My magic has been somewhat limited during this pregnancy. This thing, stripped all my abilities and took them for itself.”

“What?” Zelda was confused.

“Yes, unfortunately I have been without magic since I’ve been locked away in here. Lucifer… doesn’t know.” Lilith’s voice was quiet and timid, hesitant to share so openly with the redhead. “I had thought this was just my magic returning but, it feels different.”

Zelda hadn’t known Lilith was powerless. All these months trapped in this room, pregnant with a child she didn’t want, with no magic. Zelda had thought Lilith was playing a long game - part of her sure Lilith could have escaped if she wanted to but simply remained as part of a plan. The harsh reality struck a nerve with the redhead. She understood what it was like to not be in control of your body and your abilities. She wouldn’t wish it on anyone, even Lilith.

“I think you were right not to inform the Dark Lord of this.” Zelda advised. “We have no idea what this is or what it means for you or the child.”

“But you said the baby was healthy?” Lilith questioned, her hand resting on her stomach. There was clear concern in the first witch for the unborn child, whether Lilith admitted it or not.

“Yes, he seems perfectly healthy. But this development is something we need to be cautious of.” Zelda was tempted for a brief moment to comfort Lilith with a reassuring squeeze of her shoulders but thought better of it.

“Let me check the books in the academy to see if I can find out anything that could assist us here. There has never been a celestial/witch pregnancy before so I am not sure what resource will be of use, however I’m sure Ambrose will be able to find something. Sabrina, would you care to help me?” Zelda asked, hoping she would like another trip back home. Her Aunt Hilda would certainly appreciate seeing their niece again.

“Oh. I’d love to Auntie Zee. But I don’t think I can leave Pandemonium.” Sabrina looked to Lilith as if the first witch could contradict her answer.

“You are Queen of Hell, surely you can do what you want?” Zelda asked. Sabrina was usually a law unto herself, even before taking on the crown of the underworld.

“My father made it quite clear my responsibilities were to be focussed here and here alone. I can’t, I’m sorry Auntie.” Though Sabrina spoke assuredly, Zelda could read between the lines - this wasn’t something her niece was happy with.

“Are you being _forced_ to stay here Sabrina?” Zelda asked carefully, suddenly aware of the dark circles that hung beneath the young girl’s eyes. If she was having second thoughts about this, about ruling all of Hell with her Father, Zelda wouldn’t hesitate to whisk her back to the mortuary herself in a flash. Dark Lord or not. “Do you want to come home?”

Sabrina took a moment to answer, biting her lip and avoiding looking at her. “I made my choice Auntie. I must honour my commitment to Hell.” Zelda couldn’t miss the sadness within Sabrina. Although she didn’t agree with her decision, Sabrina’s happiness was her only priority. Now her niece was clearly unhappy and that changed everything.

“Nonsense. You’re coming back to the Manor with me, I’ll need the help to research anyway. We can’t let too many people find out about this.”

“But my father-“ Sabrina argued.

“Will have to deal with it. I’m sure Hell can cope without their _Queen_ for a few hours.” Zelda stated leaving no room for further argument.

Sabrina was hesitant and looked to Lilith. Was she waiting for permission from the first witch? Lilith was powerless and a prisoner here, she didn’t have any control over the Queen. Especially over her headstrong niece surely?

“He won’t be happy Sabrina.” Lilith advised looking directly at her niece. “But go, help your Aunt. Just… don’t be gone too long. I don’t know how long I can fend him off again.”

 _Again_? Zelda wondered what Lilith was referring to. The first woman seemed so small in the bed, as she spoke her warning to Sabrina. Her frame entirely shrunk and the fire gone from her eyes. If the Dark Lord was truly this horrific to the mother of his future son, how in Heaven was he treating his own daughter? Zelda would have to have words with her niece when they returned to the mortuary. She did not like the idea of Sabrina being down here, and if she was unhappy, if she was in _danger…_ Zelda would not be letting her return. That was for sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was originally hoping to have this fic finished by Part4 but given that we are halfway through that seems unlikely now. Would you all still be interested in reading this even when Part4 does (eventually) come out? 
> 
> I'd love to know all your thoughts and reactions, what you think/want to happen next in this story. It really does help me when writing the next chapter.  
> I am grateful to every one of you who takes the time to comment. Please continue :) I love ya all.


	11. The Handmaiden's Reprise

### 

“Where is she?!” Lucifer shouted.

Throwing open the door with a bang, the Dark Lord barged into Lilith’s chambers making her jump at the sudden intrusion. She had been expecting his arrival but that didn’t make her any more prepared for the conversation that was to follow. Sabrina had gone with her Aunt back to the mortal realm, supposedly for a short time to help research, but that was several hours ago. There had been a look of fierce protection in the redhead’s eyes when she spoke with Sabrina, one that told the first witch that this visit may not be temporary.

“Who?” Lilith asked from her usual chair by the fireside, feigning ignorance as to who the Dark Lord was referring to.

“You know very well who - Sabrina! My daughter.” Lucifer marched all around the large room and then into the adjoining bathroom in his search for the Queen. The anger radiated off him, his feet stomping harshly against the wooden floor as his eyes scanned every inch of the room.

“I don’t know where Sabrina is my Lord.” Lilith said calmly with a more submissive tone than she liked.

“Don’t lie to me Lilith. I know she and her meddling Aunt were last seen in here. With you!” Lucifer abandoned his search of the room and waltzed towards her.

“Oh that. Yes, Miss Spellman had come for another _routine_ checkup, and the Queen had been present.” Lilith placed emphasis on ‘routine’; he seemed preoccupied with the whereabouts of his daughter but she did not want any reason for him to question the visit or find out about the new developments with this pregnancy.

“Well, where did they go?” His body stood tall, adjacent to the chair, looming over her.

“I believe Miss Spellman invited her niece back to their dreary little house.” Lilith advised casually.

“And you let her go?” Lucifer continued to rage; she could see the veins in his neck pulsing.

Pushing herself up, so he no longer towered over her, Lilith slowly stood up from the chair. “I have no control over the Queen or her actions. I am just a prisoner in here in case you had forgotten.” Lilith responded dryly.

“She’s gone back up there? She knows she can’t return!”

“Well it’s not surprising.” Lilith bit back. “She _is_ half mortal after all, no matter how hard you try and squeeze it out of her.” She toed the fine line between strength and respect – in a game she knew he would respond to. “You cannot extinguish the light in her forever.”

Letting out a harsh exhale Lucifer began pacing the room. He was evidentially furious. She watched his hands ball into tight fists at his sides, every muscle was tense beneath his lamé jacket and for once the anger was not directed towards her. A smile twitched the corner of her lips unseen by the Dark Lord. The happy Morningstar family was about to be broken. The father-daughter duo of Hell needed to crumble to allow her child to reign, and for her to survive.

“That’s what you get when you try and manipulate a mortal to fulfil your prophecy.” Slipping back into her role as his advisor, Lilith hoped this would be familiar enough to avoid unwanted attention on herself. Slowly, subtly, she needed to plant the seeds of doubt about Sabrina. “She’s had too much exposure to the earthly realm. Your influence isn’t strong enough against all the years she’s had with her family and friends.”

“ **I am her family!** ” The Dark Lord shouted turning around to face the first witch. “I am her father and she will reign as Queen!”

They locked eyes; her blue piercing against his dark fury. He was clearly not willing to abandon the idea of his daughter as Queen that easily. But what he would do about it, she could not predict. The anger within him was frightening and she hoped its focus would stay on Sabrina’s insubordination.

“Come with me!” He shouted and advanced towards her suddenly.

“What?”

“I’m bringing her back! If you know so much about my daughter, you’re coming with me.”

Lucifer grabbed her by the arm; she inhaled sharply as his grip pinched her skin. Dragging her towards the door she struggled not to stumble across the floor and he forced them both through the frame. She wasn’t expecting this - to leave this room. She had been stuck inside these four walls for so long and now, she suddenly realised she wasn’t yet prepared to venture beyond her prison door.

The familiar smell of brimstone filled her nostrils as they walked in silence down the darkened corridor. He had released his grip on her and she walked behind him in the shadows. As they travelled the blood-stained corridors there was a brief moment in their journey that reminded her of the old days. The power couple of Hell - Lucifer and Lilith; when their arrival anywhere in Pandemonium installed fear in whomever they came across. It was a simpler time. When she willingly followed wherever he led - devoted and hungry for the power that came with being his right-hand witch. Now, she followed in fear, though her mask stoic as always. Her reprise as his hand maiden was her best chance of survival. If there was to be an altercation, she needed him to know she was on his side.

Her heart beat rapidly in her chest, Lilith wondered where they were going. Were they going up to the mortal realm to get Sabrina back to Hell? Was Sabrina ready to defy the Dark Lord and abdicate the throne yet? Lilith had worked so hard, whispering in her ear, watching as the young girl cracked with the pressures and horrors of Hell… but Lilith wasn’t confident Sabrina had reached the point where she would readily give up the crown.

The Dark Lord stopped abruptly when they arrived in the throne room. It was deserted and eery – the flames behind the stained-glass windows flickered behind the towering, blood soaked, sculptured throne.

Why were they here?

Lucifer turned to Lilith; his eyes were almost black. She swallowed thickly. 

“Let’s see what my daughter has to say for herself then.” His cold voice drawled.

Lucifer closed his eyes. Putting his hands out in front of him, his arms were apart with palms facing each other. He muttered the Latin words under his breath and Lilith knew immediately what he was doing - he was summoning Sabrina. Back here, back to Hell.

The familiar outline of the young Queen fuzzed into view in between the Dark Lords open palms. Lucifer’s eyes opened glaring fiercely at his daughter.

“Dark Lord...” Sabrina stuttered stepping back and out of his hold. Her eyebrows raised at her sudden new surroundings.

“Sabrina. Daughter.” The words dripped from his lips with venom. “Why have I been informed you were back in the mortal realm?”

The young Queen looked at Lilith, pausing, clearly unsure what to say. The first witch prayed Sabrina wouldn’t divulge too much information about the reasons she had returned home.

“I... My aunt required my assistance. It was an urgent family matter.” Sabrina said, gaining confidence in her words. Lilith let out a silent breath of relief.

“You had no right to go back there. Your role is **here** ,” The Dark Lord stomped his foot loudly “serving and leading Hell.”

“I needed to return. My family-“

“I AM YOUR FAMILY!” Lucifer barked. The flames of Hell exploded in time with his angry words, illuminating the room and raising the temperature dramatically.

“No!” Sabrina yelled unfazed by his anger. “You may be my father but you are **not** my family!” Sabrina matched Lucifer’s strength and Lilith couldn’t help but be impressed at her readiness to defy him.

“You made a commitment Sabrina. To Hell. To me! There is no going back!” Lucifer spat.

“I refuse to accept that. I will not forsake my family, my friends. I will visit them whenever I choose.”

“You can’t have both worlds. There is no choosing. You are Queen of Hell and there will be no returning to the mortal realms. **Ever**!”

“Then I don’t want to be Queen.” Sabrina stated with such surety it surprised even Lilith. The young girl actually said it. Sabrina had finally decided to abandon her throne. Lilith waited with bated breath, Lucifers reaction could be catastrophic.

“What?! You cannot turn your back on your destiny!”

“I chose to be Queen, now I _choose_ not to be. You cannot take my free will. This is my life and this is **my** choice!” The fire burnt strong within Sabrina, the self-assured teenage arrogance Lilith so often found aggravating was back and this time it was to Lilith’s advantage.

“Sabrina!” Lucifer scorned.

“You can have your crown back! I want no part of this barbaric, misogynistic place. I’m going home!”

Before anyone could react or say another word the young girl took another step back, crossed her arms and muttered “ _Ianuae magicae_ ” disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Lilith’s heart was in her mouth and she’d stopped breathing. Sabrina had just abdicated the throne and abandoned her kingdom. She could feel the rage emanating off the Dark Lord, stronger than the rising flames of Hell. His hands were trembling with anger, fingers brushing through his dark hair and he held his head. Suddenly he let out a roar so loud the whole throne room shook beneath them. Her blood ran cold.

Biting her lip anxiously, Lilith tried to stay calm though she felt like she couldn’t breath. Lucifer was furious and that was dangerous. She knew what it was like to be on the other side of his wrath.

“That ungrateful... little bitch!” Lucifer screamed. “I’ve given her everything! A kingdom, a throne, spared her mortal friends and her pathetic little town. I made her a Queen!” His breath shook with fury. “ **No!** She will not reject her destiny; she will NOT reject me!”

“What are you going to do my Lord?” Lilith asked carefully.

“I’m going to drag her back here if I have to kill every last Spellman on the face of the Earth!”

“No.” Lilith replied all too quickly. She couldn’t let Lucifer go up there and start another apocalypse. Sabrina would not come willingly, that was for sure, once the girl made her mind up about something there was no stopping it. She had learnt that lesson already. Lucifer would end up killing her and her whole family. She might resent everything about Sabrina Spellman but she did not want her to die at the hands of her father. Lilith also, though she’d never admit it aloud, needed Zelda for this pregnancy. The headstrong High Priestess was sure to go up against the Dark Lord if he tried to forcibly take her niece. Lilith couldn’t allow the Dark Lord to roam the Earth again.

“I mean... you don’t need her.” She quickly covered her outburst. “That insufferable half mortal! She was not _worthy_ of you or this kingdom.” Relying on flattery to fan his ego, she pandered to his arrogance.

“You bestowed on her the greatest honour; you gave her powers, a Kingdom, a crown…” Lilith ignored the clench of her heart, still sore from betrayal “and she has thrown it all back in your face. She does not deserve such a title.” She couldn’t let Sabrina return to Hell. Her plan centred around the empty throne and the child she was carrying; with her son too young to rule she would do so in his place thus securing her continued existence.

She hesitantly stepped in front of him, to look at him fully, showing she was in his thrall completely. His eyes seemed to notice her presence, retreating from the haze of his anger to take in the words she had spoken.

“She is not your only option for succession.” She whispered softly looking into his dark eyes, a delicate hand holding the curve of her stomach.

His gaze followed her hands, resting on the evidence of their child, though his breath was still laboured from anger. Lilith could practically hear the cogs turning in his head as his pupils twitched. She knew he wanted to go and drag Sabrina back here, his plan was for her to rule not this baby, and he did not like it when his plans failed. But she carried his son, that had sway over him. A male heir was the ultimate successor. One he could not deny was preferential.

“You have a son.” She reminded him. She needed to stop him going after Sabrina, every card had to be played. “A son you could mould in your image, who would not be swayed by a mortal conscience. A son who will know only the glory of darkness. To rule over Hell… and continue your legacy.”

She waited, pulse racing, the silence was palpable.

“Yes...” he drawled finally, breaking the tension only Lilith felt in the air. “You’re right.”

Her heart finally returned to her chest as she let out another silent breath of relief. She smiled softly, to show her ‘happiness’ to his decision.

“You always did think outside the box Lilith, finding new and creative ways to instil torture and chaos.” He sauntered towards her closing the gap between them, her name on his lips making her nauseous. Removing her protective hands, Lucifer placed his own on her stomach. “Perhaps this child will succeed where Sabrina has failed. Rising up and leading the way to a new dawn of Hell, to triumph in every corner of every realm. My son.”

The babe moved inside, squirming with the rest of her insides at his touch. It kicked sharply outwards against the spot his hands were pressed, causing her to inhale sharply in surprise.

“Was that…?” Lucifer’s eyes lit up, all anger seeming to have vanished.

“Yes.” She breathed with proud eyes, playing the part of mother-to-be expertly. “He kicked.”

“Perhaps you’re right Lilith. This child will be a fine _King_ of Hell.” He continued to stare with glee, fingers roaming and pressing her stomach, trying to prompt another kick against his palms.

She swallowed the disgust deep inside. He was focussed entirely on his son, Sabrina was now out of Pandemonium, and the throne was empty. Her plan had worked, so far.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who's left wonderful comments on this story. I very much appreciate every single one.  
> I'm not 100% happy with this chapter but I hope you like it. I'm still forming the details of the next few chapters, so unsure when the next update will be. It will also depend if any other WIP's worm their way into my head lol. 
> 
> As always, please leave a little note if you enjoyed. What you liked/your reactions/what you hope for this story. They motivate and inspire me. Thanks for reading you beautiful people :)


	12. Scarlet Inferno

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone,  
> I can't believe it's been nearly two months since I've updated this, I don't know where the time has gone (or this year tbh). I took a mini break from the fandom in October but now I'm back, and hopefully you'll enjoy this latest update. If you're still reading and following this fic, thank you so much. I hope there are people out there who appreciate a fluffless, drama-filled, dark fic.  
>   
> Note new tags: trigger warnings non-consensual.

With Sabrina gone, things were very different in Hell. Lucifer had officially taken back the throne to a chorus of cheers from the demonic aristocracy of Pandemonium. It was clear their acceptance and submission of the previous female sovereign was just an act for their master’s benefit. As she stood dutifully by the Dark Lord’s side, Lilith didn’t miss the pointed stare from Beelzebub from amongst the crowd, his sullen eyes piercing her soul and making threats.

The speed in which things resumed ‘normal’ order alarmed Lilith. Her reprise of handmaiden had been a temporary solution but the loyalty of all in Hell to their Dark Lord was much stronger than she had anticipated. She had hoped, perhaps naively, following her previous attempt at wearing the crown and Sabrina’s short time on the throne that there would be more demons willing to accept change, for new leadership, but the atmosphere in Hell was as dark as any of her previous years by Lucifer’s side. Perhaps even more so.

Since Sabrina’s abdication of the throne Lilith’s chambers had remained unlocked, though this made little difference to her. Without the young queen to focus their cruel attention, Lilith was back in the limelight and could not wonder free without receiving abuse. Most notably from the Dark Lord’s right-hand demon.

She expected the verbal torments but what worried her was what they would do when Lucifer was no longer watching. Powerless, both magically and in stature, Lilith wished she had her magic so she could end Beelzebub’s pathetic existence or at the very least, defend herself. Lucifer would not risk harming the child she carried but the same could not be said for his most devout followers. She had worked too hard and come too far to lose it all now.

The success of her plan and the removal of Sabrina from the game promptly lost any sense of achievement as the pregnancy continued to take its toll on her body. She had gravely underestimated the physical effects carrying a child would have; from the initial nausea in her first trimester to the stomach and leg cramps she now suffered, it seemed whenever one symptom disappeared another would simply take its place. Women had been _procreating_ in this manner for centuries, some repeatedly so, how hard could it be, Lilith had thought. If the end result meant her own survival, she could have a child, couldn’t she? Yet as her back spasmed for the umpteenth time that day, Lilith resigned herself to the chair in her bedroom as the determination within her slowly diminished.

Her bedroom was her safe space; the prison now her sanctuary. Every muscle ached as her body continued to change without permission; her cleavage had decided to grow along with her stomach and her bosom now rested on the swell of her belly. Sinking into the seat, the firm cushion of the Victorian armchair helped ease the tension in her back and she began to close her eyes, surrendering to the exhaustion. Her hand ghosted over the crest of her stomach and settling there, some might say protectively, the child within decidedly active whenever Lilith wanted to rest.

Through the haze of exhaustion, the hairs on the back of her neck suddenly spiked. Lilith opened her eyes slowly and gazed towards the door. He was coming; she could sense it. She didn’t have the energy to be dealing with Lucifer today, exhaling softly, she prepared herself as best she could.

“Lilith… Oh Lilith.” Lucifer’s taunting voice carried from the hallway, almost singing her name as if he were looking for a pet. She’d be angry if she weren’t so tired, although she couldn’t help the eye roll as he dramatically rounded the door frame.

“What are you doing in here?” He asked, his presence immediately sucking the air from the room, erasing any respite she had felt in her solitude. “We missed you in court today Lilith. I’ve given you your freedom yet you continue to reside in this filthy place.” Lucifer casually stalked the room, touching every surface and moving her things, distaste for her locale curling his lips.

“Freedom?!” Lilith scoffed “You’ve given me nothing of the sort.”

“You’re allowed out of this room; to roam Pandemonium as you please.” With his usual flare for dramatics, his arrogance was sickening, holding all the cards and he knew it. “I think I have been rather generous allowing your leash to be loosened, but if you’re going to be ungrateful-”

“Grateful! You want me to be grateful?!” Lilith exasperated. He was trying to push her buttons but she simply was not in the mood - for him or his games. “My back hurts, my legs are sore and I’m just… _exhausted_. So please, Lucifer, with all due respect… leave me alone.”

Turning away from him, Lilith dipped her head and held her temple with a delicate hand; her long hair hiding her pained expression.

His footsteps echoed slowly towards her.

“I don’t care for your tone _Lilith_. That’s no way to speak to your Dark Lord.”

Sharply, she looked up glaring daggers at her captor. “You are not _my_ anything!” She spat, before slowly closing her heavy eyes. She was done talking to this man.

“Careful Lilith.” Her name on his tongue was nauseating. “You don’t want me to rethink my decision, now would you? I can so easily lock that door again and stop you seeing anyone in this castle.”

She had no desire to socialise with any of Lucifer's deranged flock. She kept her eyes closed refusing to look up, he was trying to provoke her but she wouldn’t rise to it. “Like I want to see any of the vermin that stalk these corridors.”

“Perhaps.” He said with a sneer, like a cat toying with its prey, and she could hear the smile on his lips. “However, I’m sure you’d miss your appointments with the Spellman witch. I could put a stop to that in a heartbeat.”

Her eyes flew open at his threat, panic swimming in the cool blue.

“But- but that’s not for me, that’s for your son.”

“I’m sure there are other midwives in the realms or even here in Pandemonium that would be oh so willing to help bring the future King of Hell into the world.”

He was calling her bluff, forcing her to engage in his game. She couldn’t let another midwife see this child; Zelda was the only person she had who was not under Lucifer’s spell, and who knew of the _unusual_ symptoms of this particular pregnancy. The powers that were forming inside of her could not be revealed to the Dark Lord.

“No. I mean,” Lilith stuttered “surely it’s best to continue with Zeld- Miss Spellman. She’s already familiar with this pregnancy and the boy’s developments.”

Her arms wrapped around her middle, a subconscious movement, as if to physically hide the magic that was growing inside.

“Well then, perhaps you should start thinking about being a little more… _receptive_ to me Lilith.” Bending over, Lucifer placed his large hands on each arm rest trapping her in the chair. “After all, this was your idea, was it not? My son, my legacy… getting rid of Sabrina?”

His words were barely a whisper but the malice cut through her like a knife. Eyes widening at his question Lilith tried to hide their surprise. How did he know of her plan? With their face’s inches apart, his breath brushed her cheek. She wanted to move away, to increase the distance between them but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of squirming in the chair.

“Oh yes.” Lucifer continued, her expression all the answer he needed. “Don’t think I didn’t notice how quick you were to remind me of my, how did you put it, ‘ _other options’_? I know you wanted Sabrina out of your way, your distaste for my daughter has never been well hidden Lilith. Jealousy is not a good look on you my dear. Sabrina was pivotal in my plans, to have a child to continue my legacy and the ruling of the realm. That was until my son was created.”

His dark eyes travelled down her body, she swallowed thickly, following his gaze she looked down at her ever-growing stomach. A rough hand released its grip from the arm of the chair moving painfully slowly towards the swell, she inhaled sharply awaiting the contact. His touch was surprisingly gentle as he caressed the curve that now protruded significantly from Lilith’s small frame. As his palm pressed against the fabric of her dress, she felt the familiar flutter of the child inside. His gleeful eyes laced with fascination.

“You were right Lilith.” He whispered, breaking their temporary silence.

“I- I was?” The crack in her voice betrayed her, showing the sudden fear she felt at their proximity. Exhaustion had quickly dissipated at his touch replaced only with a thumping heart and a knot in her stomach.

“Yes, a son is much more preferable for my plans. A child who has not been tainted by a mortal life, is not delusional with pathetic witch rights or independence. He will continue the Morningstar name with honour, and will feed off the fear he will instil in every demon that treads these walls.”

The Dark Lord’s hand trailed from her stomach up the inside of her slender arms. She shivered, his rough fingers inching higher, over her shoulder and then slowly across her collarbone. “He will be strong, powerful, and know the glory of ruling with a firm hand. It will be a beautiful thing to watch Lilith.” When he reached her neck, he tightened his grip squeezing her jaw, pre-empting her desire to look away and force her to bear witness to the darkness of his soul.

“It’s just a shame you won’t be around to witness it.” His cheeks dimpled with the deranged smile on his lips. The promise of her execution never far from his taunts.

She couldn’t flinch even if she wanted to, his grip on her jaw was too tight. Breathing heavily through flared nostrils Lilith tried to calm the rising panic within. She could accept the touching of her stomach, that was to be expected, and the tangible evidence of his son often had its distracting benefits. But when his large hands began to roam further, without permission... Bile rose in her throat as her heart pounded in her ears. This was not part of her plan nor would it ever be. She would not be his concubine again.

He laughed, sucking what little air was left in the room, before releasing his grip on her. With his hand gone her head lolled forward, dark hair falling over her face and she instinctively rubbed the reddening skin across her jawline. The ringing in her ears drowned out the sound of his footsteps leaving the room.

Gasping for breath, she shuddered as her mind raced with all his threats. He knew _she_ was the reason Sabrina had gone. He knew _she_ had planned it all and pushed his daughter away from him, and then threatened to recruit another midwife. But why? Had he found out about the baby’s magic, that Zelda was helping her? Was he trying to stop her from returning to Lilith’s aid? Or was he simply just playing games and toying with her?

Her skin burnt from his touch, itchy and raw, the air around her was stifling and she was sweating. The baby shifted, angry movements matching her racing heart. She could feel something brewing through her panic, the familiar tingle of magic getting stronger and stronger.

“Oh no.” She breathed, an elbow kicking her sharply in the rib as the power built.

Preparing for the assault on her senses, Lilith curled forward around her stomach trying hopelessly to contain it. Whenever these episodes would strike her body was not her own; her back would tense, her body rigid, helpless as the power coursed through her veins.

Hands trembling, fists tight, she closed her eyes and breathed through the wave pulsing through her. The magic was seductive, it’s power enticing but it was also brutal and forceful as she tried to fight against it, to stop it from taking over.

Her skin felt alive with electricity as she strained to contain it. However, this time felt _different_. Her back wasn’t seizing up and her veins didn’t appear to be glowing. It was there, the power was strong beneath the surface, but it wasn’t taking control. She whimpered quietly as she fought it, her body shaking as it travelled through her muscles.

As it reached its peak, she heard a crack echo the empty room and the pain stopped immediately. Her eyes flew open to see the fireplace erupt in flames. It’s scarlet inferno flickering high into the large chimney breast, with rogue flames escaping outside the brick and licking the mantlepiece.

The bright orange light reflected in Lilith’s wide eyes as she watched the dancing flames in awe. As quickly as they appeared, they were gone. The pulsing of magic in her veins also disappeared, only an echo remained, softly tingling her skin.

“Whoa.” She panted, cradling her stomach with her hands. The force required to control the surge making her severely out of breath.

“Was that you or me?” Speaking to the unborn babe underneath her fingertips.

It moved softly, a quiet reply, before settling unusually still on her bladder. The boy it seemed was just as exhausted from the magical takeover as she was.

As she recovered slowly in her chair, Lilith momentarily forgot about her encounter with the Dark Lord, her mind now consumed with thoughts of the child. Perhaps this little parasite had as much control over these waves as she did - were they both a slave to this newfound power that dwelled within? She wanted to blame the child for all that she’d suffered during these months; for every ache and pain, for every nauseating turn of her stomach, for being powerless and trapped in the centre of Hell. But the will of her mind was wavering when the clench in her heart told her not to so. She was the one who created this child, he didn’t ask for this.

 _No_. She shook her head, snapping all emotional thoughts from her mind and removing her hands from her stomach. This was just the hormones talking. This child was just a means to an end, all part of her plan, as long as she could ensure her continued existence that was all that mattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lucifer is a complete dick but he is great to write. I hope my characterisations are still on point, following my break it took me some time to get back into Lilith's headspace and I hope it's ok.  
> As always, comments very much appreciated. Thanks for reading.


	13. Hauntingly Familiar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK so trigger warning time again.  
>   
>  **TW: Attempted Rape/Non-Consensual themes**  
>  **Please do not read if this may be triggering to you, stay safe and look after yourself.**

### 

It quickly became apparent that the magic that dwelled inside her was changing. No longer was it overtaking her entire body - Lilith was able to get some level of control over these episodes. It required every ounce of concentration she had, her body would tremble with the white-hot force coursing through her veins, but she could contain it at least. It was also evident these events were somehow directly linked to Lucifer. Lilith didn’t know how she had missed it before when the circumstances were now blindingly obvious. Although they wouldn’t happen after every visit or altercation, when they did strike the Dark Lord had either been near or someone had mentioned him.

The babe in her womb became unusually still after each wave of magic. He was growing at a rapid rate, space was getting rather limited in there, and often a foot or an elbow could be seen rolling across the swell of her stomach. Yet in the moments that followed a magical takeover her son became quiet. She briefly wondered how these episodes were affecting him; was the child responsible for them or did he suffer as much as her? Lilith waited anxiously for her next midwife appointment when Zelda would be able to confirm what was happening to her.

She feared the link between the episodes and Lucifer meant that the babe was already on the Dark Lord’s side. Why else would the magic be triggered by him? She told herself she didn’t care, this child was only a way to stay alive, but the idea of this creature she carried aligning itself to the Dark Lord and becoming just like him…. Well, one devil was more than enough to be dealing with.

Now that Sabrina was no longer in Hell and her plan executed as much as she was able, there was nothing left to do but wait. And think. How was she going to convince the Dark Lord not to kill her after their child was born, that she was needed - alive- as it’s mother, to raise him. Swallowing thickly, she tried to squash the disgust that being a _mother_ was her only play of survival.

Lilith didn’t know the first thing about babies - created by the False God she never had a childhood of her own and any demonic children she’d ‘birthed’ were fully formed creations of destruction. But then again, the fallen angel was no better an option for parenting. A small part of her dreaded what misguided notion of self-importance the Dark Lord would instil in his heir. Why did she even care? This child didn’t matter, as long as she survived this ordeal, that was Lilith’s only concern.

Lucifer’s threats turned out to be empty. Thankfully. Whilst he seemingly knew too much, Lilith believed them to be lucky guesses and the Dark Lord still remained very much in the dark of the true extent of this pregnancy and its effects on the First Witch. That was confirmed when he did not go through with the threat of changing midwife and Zelda soon arrived in Pandemonium for another routine check-up.

Letting out a sigh of relief at the sight of the redhead, Lilith realised how much she had bottled up; unable to speak freely or openly with anyone in these walls while the quickening tornado of questions and worries occupied her mind.

“Good afternoon Lilith.” Zelda greeted formally. “How are you today?”

Taken aback slightly by the stoic tone, Lilith was quickly reminded of their hostile relationship. “Ms Spellman.” She nodded, matching the midwife’s formal pleasantries.

“Are you alone?” Lilith asked, her gaze darting towards the open wooden door of her chambers, knowing there were eyes and ears everywhere in Hell.

Zelda stopped in her tracks, following the first woman’s eyeline towards the door. “Yes, it’s just me.” Sensing Lilith’s apprehension, Zelda turned back towards the door and closed it quietly behind her.

“Did you- did you find-“ Lilith tried to get up from her chair by the fireside but found she couldn’t get the momentum with her large stomach obscuring her weight and her words stopped with the struggle.

“Do you need a hand?” Zelda smirked.

“No.” Lilith refused, attempting again to get out from the Victorian armchair but shortly gave up with a huff. “Ok. Fine, if it’ll get me off this blasted chair.”

Zelda walked over and offered a hand to the struggling woman who took it reluctantly, but seemed grateful when she finally up righted herself.

“Thank you.” Lilith quickly let go and brushed her hand down the side of her clothes as if the contact needed to be wiped away.

“So, you’ve come alone Ms Spellman?”

“Yes of course, who else were you expecting?”

“Where’s Lucifer?” Lilith’s voice sounded more apprehensive than she cared to reveal.

“No idea, his Minion demon let me in this time.”

“Do you know where he is?” Lilith asked.

“No - I don’t enjoy running into the Dark Lord when I come down here and I do not exactly request an audience with him.” Zelda’s sarcastic tone cut through the air. “Why?”

“I just want to ensure we can talk freely.” Ignoring the midwife’s presence, Lilith was laser focussed on the newly closed door and their apparent empty surroundings.

“What’s happened?” Zelda enquired with concern.

Confident they were indeed alone, Lilith stopped scanning the walls and turned to face her guest.

“Well, I was hoping you’d tell me. What have you found out? What are these magical side effects I keep suffering?” The eagerness to know more about her condition teetered closely towards desperation.

“Oh. _That._ Well, let’s just get you on the bed and I’ll start my checks first.” Zelda’s casual tone did nothing to hide the obvious glaze over Lilith’s enquiry.

“No - tell me what you’ve discovered.” Lilith insisted.

“Let me check on the babe first.”

“What is it?” Lilith could sense Zelda was hiding something. Frustration was quick to replace her desperation - to not know what was happening, especially when it directly involved herself, was too much. Unable to take out any anger at the Hordes of Hell, Lilith’s defence mechanism was quick to activate against someone she could shout at. 

“It’s nothing.” Zelda dismissed.

“Don’t lie to me Zelda.” Lilith warned.

“I’m not. That’s just it, there’s _nothing_. We couldn’t find anything.”

“What?” Her blue eyes widened in disbelief.

“We couldn’t find anything at all. We searched every book in the manor and the Academy, we spent day after day endlessly looking for any reference to celestial pregnancies, anything that could help shine a light on your symptoms but unfortunately it was to no avail. It seems this has never happened before. Sabrina is the only blood child of a celestial being but she had a mortal mother and we never had these side effects with Diana.”

“So that’s it? You’ve brought me nothing of use?” The First Witch snapped.

“I don’t know what else you expect me to do? I’m trying desperately to rebuild our coven - our depleted numbers have us severely at a disadvantage, our change in deity has us outcast from all other covens, and I’ve had it up to here with disobedient teenagers with no respect for their elders. So yes Lilith, that’s it.”

The one slither of hope Lilith had was suddenly and completely obliterated. She had thought Zelda would find something, anything, to explain what was happening to her body and ease the gnawing doubt about the beast in her belly. But the Directrix was clearly more occupied with her own troubles.

“I don’t know why I thought I could trust you.” Lilith whispered, a hand rubbing her stomach as she turned walking away from the witch.

“You _can_ trust me. I’m sorry we weren’t able to find anything, but this simply isn’t something that has happened before. No records of such things anyway.”

Lilith’s mind began to spiral. Lucifer held her future in the palm of his hands, the uncertainty of her survival was fast approaching. There was so little she had any say or control over and this additional unknown felt like the final nail in Lilith’s coffin. Zelda’s words replayed in her head as they sank in.

“‘ _We_ ’…. you said ‘ _we_ ’. Who else knows about this?” Lilith asked coldly.

“Well, I- there were quite a few books to go through. A group of my most trusted students-“

“You’ve told your students?” Lilith felt the wind knock out from under her and she clutched her chest. How many people now knew of Lilith’s mysterious magical powers? The more people that knew, the more likely Lucifer and his demons might find out.

“Only a select few, so we could research quickly and efficiently.” Zelda defended, talking to the long dark hair of the First Witch who continued to look away from her. “They can be trusted.”

Lilith exhaled her frustration loudly. “But you didn’t find anything out, so you’ve breached my confidence for nothing!”

“Confidence?”

Rolling her eyes, Lilith span around to face her midwife. “Yes Ms Spellman. Isn’t patient-midwife confidentiality a key part of your role? Which you’ve decidedly ignored and told your _entire school_ about something that could very much get me killed!”

“I- I’m sorry. I thought I’d made it clear during our last appointment that a task such as this would require more resources than just myself scrolling through the academy’s library. Rest assured; my students would never say anything. Lucifer won’t find out from us.”

Lilith’s heart beat rapidly in her chest. Even the idea of Lucifer finding out about the power that she harboured whilst unable to control, was enough to bring back all paranoia she’d fought these last few months. The demons of Hell would never trust that she was on their side whilst her abilities were unfamiliar and erratic. She feared what they would do to her, even while pregnant, to push these powers to the surface. Would they dissect her like some magical science experience? Would they forget the child, be too threatened by the power, and just kill her before her stay of execution had elapsed? The room around her began to spin with the stampede of questions in her mind. Her lungs felt like they were incapable of taking in oxygen. She couldn’t breathe.

Before she even noticed her body start to kilter, Zelda was guiding her to sit on the edge of the bed.

“Lilith, it’s going to be ok.” Zelda reassured her, sitting gently next to her on the bed.

“You don’t know that.” Lilith confessed, suddenly aware of her ragged breaths.

“There is nothing to suggest this magical development is harmful to you or the babe. In fact, I’d hazard a guess and say it’s making you both stronger.”

“Stronger?” Lilith repeated, trying to calm her racing mind and thumping heart. She had never considered this development to be a _benefit_ to her. Strength and power would certainly be a welcome change in her current torturous situation.

“Yes. I may not be familiar with these symptoms but I know my midwifery and this child is strong. How are the episodes, has there been any change, are they more frequent?”

“No. Not really - though I’ve been able to gain some level of control over them. They aren’t as debilitating.”

“Well, that’s certainly good news.” Zelda’s patronising bedside manner would have provoked a snarky response from the First Witch if she wasn’t so caught up in her panic.

“Now, if you’re ready I’d like to start my checks on the babe.” Zelda’s chipper, reassuring voice felt more suited to her sister than the Directrix.

Too many thoughts swam her mind to argue and Lilith let herself be guided by the midwife towards the top of the bed to lay down for the usual pre-natal check-up. _Stronger_. The word echoed again and again in her ears like a distant tunnel. The child was strong, but that didn’t seem to provide Lilith with any comfort. If he was strong and sided with Lucifer, what would that mean for Lilith’s future? Was she birthing her own demise?

“Is everything okay?” Zelda asked gently, concern etched in her furrowed eyebrows as she looked at the expectant witch.

“Yes.” Lilith lied. Zelda had proven she could not be trusted, and Lilith would not confess any further weaknesses that had the potential to get back to Lucifer. “Can you hurry up Ms Spellman, there’s an event this evening and I need to get ready.”

Whether Zelda could see through Lilith’s nonchalant attitude, she couldn’t tell, but the midwife did not press any further with any small talk or intrusive questions. Lilith ignored all the usual prodding and poking of the check-up, staring straight up at the engraved ceiling, ensuring her expression remained unreadable.

“Just as I thought.” Zelda commented breaking their uncomfortable silence. “The child is doing well, with a strong heartbeat and perfect size. Now, did you want me to confirm the sex of the babe? I could take a urine sample and bring the results on my next visit.”

“What?” Zelda’s words very quickly brought Lilith out of her train of thoughts. “It’s a boy, I already know this.”

“I know you’ve said it is a boy, though I’m not sure how you could have been so certain-”

“I just know. Of course it’s a boy.”

_It had to be._

“It was too early for me to confirm the gender of the babe before, but now you’re nearing the end of the third trimester I can confirm this officially. If you’d like?”

She’d felt it, she carried Lucifer’s son. Her entire plan revolved around producing a male heir for the Dark Lord and it had never occurred to Lilith her instincts might be wrong.

“I don’t need it confirmed, I know this child is a boy.” Lilith’s confident tone was more to reassure herself than the midwife. “But if it is part of your usual checks, then I won’t stop you from checking.”

“Right. Well, fill this up,” The midwife passed a small glass cup from her medical bag. “you know the drill. I’ll be back for the next appointment with the results.”

Zelda spoke with such normalcy and routine, like this was just a regular child and a regular pregnancy, did she not know what she was insinuating? The doubt she had cast over this child’s gender. There was only one option. This babe was a boy, a son, a male heir. _It had to be._

* * *

The elite of Hell had gathered for yet another soirée that evening and Lucifer had insisted Lilith be present in the court. The Dark Lord’s eccentricities had amplified since his return to the throne; throwing multiple parties while over indulging in the finest wines, gorging on gourmet food and lapping up every bow and bent knee from each member of his infernal court. Lilith was surprised the crown still fit on his ever-growing egotistical head.

As her pregnancy developed and the child grew, Lucifer had started to parade her around these events promoting his legacy and excitement for a male heir. His hand rested on the small of her back as he guided her around the room, from demon to demon, boasting his seed and his son’s future. No one would ever acknowledge her, although she played the expectant mother role well, and all questions and talk of the heir would be directed towards the Dark Lord himself.

The evening's events were particularly difficult, aside from her exhaustion and aching body, Lilith could not shake the thoughts from her head over the babe’s gender. Ms Spellman had given no real definitive cause for concern but the mere suggestion that Lilith’s instincts could be wrong turned her blood cold.

As they moved through the evening and around the court, every word from Lucifer’s lips somehow related to his _son_ or his _boy_. The Dark Lord’s large hand proudly rested on the swell of her stomach, the other in the small of her back, she felt nauseous. She swallowed and smiled agreeably at whatever conversation was going on around her, quelling the rising emotions within.

Of course it was a boy. She knew it, _she felt it_. Lilith ensured when she performed the deed with Blackwood that it would be Lucifer’s child she carried - and it would be a son. Her magic had guaranteed it. Squashing any doubts, Lilith buried all unwanted thoughts and cursed Zelda for bringing forth unwanted paranoia.

When the party drew to a close and the final guests had vacated, only Lucifer and Lilith remained in the court. She wanted desperately to sit down, her ankles pulsed in discomfort in her high heels, but the only chair in the room was the throne itself and she knew better than to occupy that seat.

“If you’ve quite finished parading me around like some prized cow, I’d like to retire to my room now.” Lilith asked once they were alone.

“You did well tonight my dear.” Lucifer sauntered around the room with a crystal glass of red wine in his hands. He toasted towards her and took a small sip. “No embarrassment or fighting, no sneaking off or snarked responses; could it be you’ve finally decided to admit defeat and join me?”

“You’ve not won yet, _Dark Lord_.” Lilith responded coldly. If he was talking openly, no games, she was happy to oblige.

“Take a look around you.” He circled her, like an animal hunting its prey. “Everything belongs to me; the throne, the crown, the realms. The child.”

Her fingers twitched at her side, catching herself before she instinctively touched her belly.

“He will be here soon, my son. And I have great plans for him.” The disturbed glee in his eyes was unnerving.

The mention of his heir twisted her stomach, the buried anxiety slowly grappling to the surface of her subconscious. Too busy schooling her face to an unbreakable expression, Lilith had no energy to rise to his arrogant taunts.

“Don’t you want to know what I have planned for him?” He teased, approaching her slowly.

“Not really, no. Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to leave.” She started towards the door but took only a step before he caught her wrist and brought her back to face him.

“I have to admit, you play the role well.”

“And what-“ she pulled her wrist free from his grasp aggressively “part is that?”

“The mother of my child.” His low voice whispered, eyes piercing into hers.

Halting her aggravation towards him, she paused to think. If he was willing to admit she was the child’s mother, not just a host, was there hope she might stay alive after it was born…?

“I _am_ his mother.” This time she didn’t stop her hand from naturally drifting towards her stomach.

“It suits you.” He lifted his free hand to gently stroke and tuck a lock of hair behind her left ear. His mouth twitched into a half smile and he licked his bottom lip slowly.

Too stunned to move away, Lilith’s eyes simply darted in confusion.

“What are you doing?” Her voice quieter than she wanted.

“Pregnancy suits you Lilith.” His fingers still entwined in her long, curled hair pulling slowly down through the strands over her shoulder. “The changes to this body, seeing it blossom with my seed. It is quite a sight to behold.”

His eyes flamed with something new, something she’d not seen in a long time.

“Lucifer stop it. I’m tired, I just want to go to bed.” Lilith argued more forcibly this time.

“That can be arranged.”

Suddenly they were engulfed in flames and they reappeared somewhere new, somewhere hauntingly familiar - Lucifer’s own chambers.

“What are we doing here?” Lilith asked, dreading the answer.

He responded by stepping closer towards her, his large hands cupping her curved stomach. She could smell the wine on his breath mixed with his cologne as he breathed deeply.

“You’re positively glowing, Lilith.” The rolls of the ‘l’s in her name sent shivers down her spine as much as his unwanted touch. “Radiant. Practically bursting with life.”

His hands travelled round her stomach to her waist, his lustrous eyes staring not at the baby but her plump breasts.

“Lucifer, stop it. Don't be ridiculous.” Lilith protested trying to step back and out of his grasp.

“I’d think carefully before you defy me. I’ll do a lot worse than just locking you away.” He snarled as he pinched her hips stopping any further movement. “You have nowhere to go - you have nothing and no one. You are stuck here, by my side, as was meant to be.”

He stepped forward forcing her to retreat, repeating the movement again and again until her back hit the stone wall. Squeezing her shoulders, he leant forward towards her. She turned her head away but that only exposed her neck to his touch. Lucifer’s wet lips began kissing her collarbone, his stubble scratching her delicate skin.

“Dark Lord, stop.” She tried to reason.

He pressed against her harder, the jagged stone marking her bare shoulder blades. A hand let go of one shoulder and aggressively cupped a breast. She hissed through her teeth, her sensitive bosom already sore at the slightest touch and his hands were rough and painful.

“Lucifer, I’m not doing this.” She tried to push him off, using every bit of physical strength she had in her small arms. He barely moved and only grabbed her tighter.

Lifting his head up from her neck, his hungry eyes bore into her soul. “You forget your place Lilith. You belong to me!” Their faces were inches apart, his hot breath hitting her cheeks. She couldn’t look away. “My servant, my handmaiden, my concubine.” He growled. “I _own_ you; body and soul.”

She was trapped, whether physically or mentally, all she knew was that she couldn’t move. Bile rose from her stomach as his hands continued to roam her body. Her breathing hitched, trying desperately to get air that wasn’t tinged with the smell of his breath or cologne. This was the one line she had drawn in the sand, the one thing she didn’t want to reprise in this game. Yet as his weight pressed against her, she was powerless to stop it.

The child in her womb seemed equally as unhappy, the Dark Lord’s body pressed so tight it was squashing her swollen stomach. The babe moved aggressively, competing for space, and kicked inwards at her internal organs. Lilith grunted in pain, her body being attacked both inside and out.

“Lucifer, please stop. You’re- you’re hurting the baby.” Lilith begged, not caring about the game they were playing, she just wanted him off of her.

“Nonsense.” He dismissed her protests and responded by squeezing hard against her tender flesh causing her to hiss in pain once more.

Then he stepped back ever so slightly, his weight no longer crushing her, and for a brief moment she thought he’d stopped - that concern for his child would be her way out.

She was wrong.

His large hands grabbed each side of her long dress, and slowly, they began to hitch up the fabric. Realisation hit her like a steam train. Trying to grapple against his strong arms she attempted to stop the rising material. Her small hands slapped at his muscular forearms to force him to let go.

He silenced her by grabbing her throat and pushing her back against the wall. Lilith’s fingers now scratched at the hand around her windpipe - she couldn’t breathe, all the while Lucifer’s other hand was free to disappear under her dress.

She didn’t notice the familiar tingling that had started to build in her finger tips, her mind too panicked and overloaded with everything that was happening to her; 

A hand was now under her dress and on her thigh - he squeezed hard and his nails scratched her skin.

The baby moved suddenly causing a sharp jab to her ribs and bladder.

The hand around her throat squeezed but released, she could breathe but barely. Her hands clung to the tense arm at her neck, pulling down desperately for him to release her.

The child kicked again, this time outwards, and it was followed by the familiar tingling of power that quickly began to build inside. Lilith didn’t notice the magic as the hand under her dress moved around towards her inner thigh.

“Lucifer. No. Stop.” She panted as his fingers travelled higher.

The wave of magic built stronger and stronger within but she couldn’t feel it. She couldn’t feel anything; her body was numb. All she could feel was his nails tracing slowly up the inside of her leg towards her underwear.

Blue eyes were wide with panic and nostrils flared as she tried to breath ragged breaths. Her hands started to tremble with the power coursing through her veins. Letting go of the hand around her throat, her fingers clasped at her swollen stomach - the centre of the magical force. She didn’t have the strength to contain it, to hide it. Building stronger and stronger by the millisecond, the power was about to ripple through every muscle and every vein. Lucifer would find out and she couldn’t stop it.

Lilith’s eyes started to roll as the surge got too much to bear. Every cell in her body seemed to scream with the power and she was trembling. Yet all she was aware of was Lucifer’s wandering hand; she wanted him to stop, she _needed_ him to stop. As his fingers climbed higher and higher, she stopped breathing and the magic took full control of her body.

Suddenly Lucifer was flown across the room, shot far away from her like a bolt of electricity. His body was a rag doll as it flew high in the air and crashed with a loud crack against the concrete wall opposite. His limp body lay still in a heap on the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this story, I hope you enjoyed (well that's the wrong word, appreciate?) this update. You know I love me a cliff hanger. I wanted to try and get in another chapter before the release of P4 in a couple of days. Hope you are all ready! :) 
> 
> I'm sorry for this chapter but Lucifer is an absolute dick and this was a part of their (unhealthy) relationship. I hate him so much for this, but these characters are pretty much writing this story themselves at this point.  
>   
> Is Lilith right about the gender of the babe, what has happened to Lucifer and what in Heaven did Lilith just tap into?  
> As always, comments appreciated. I hope it's written okay.


	14. The Promise of a Powerful Son

Time stood still. Lilith felt like her heart was in her throat, as if one cough and she’d vomit her internal organs onto the floor. The adrenaline quickly dissipated as the exhaustion took hold and her shaky legs were barely able to keep her upright. The power still pulsed faintly through her veins like ripples across water- she’d had no control; it had completely taken over. She could still feel his hand on her thigh, the weight of his body against hers, she just wanted him _off_ of her…

Staring wide eyed in shock, she looked across the room at Lucifer’s body. He wasn’t moving. Was he dead? No. The Dark Lord could not be so easily killed and she did not possess the power to do so. The pulse beating in her ears was deafening; the muffled thumping beating faster and faster drowning out all her other senses. Slowly her knees gave out beneath her, her back scraping the stone wall as she collapsed. What had she done? 

With hands still splayed across the curvature, she looked down at her protruding stomach. What had _the baby_ done? Exhaling deeply, she realised she was panting quite heavily, her body desperate to calm itself. There was no escaping this now - Lucifer not only a witness to but on the receiving end of this magical development. Lilith was harbouring something new - a power she could not control and that she did not understand… Lucifer did not like to be left clueless in the dark and with the threat of a new power over his head there was no telling what he might do. 

He stirred. Through the pulsing in her ears, she heard Lucifer cough and the sound of his body shifting on the concrete floor. She was almost scared to look up. 

But she did. 

Struggling to his knees the Dark Lord moved slowly, heavily, his angelic form stiff from the assault. He didn’t look at her, seemingly too dazed and confused as he came round to full consciousness. 

Despite the blazing temperatures in Hell, Lilith shivered as fear ran down her spine. The threat of her death was looming, she’d already been locked away, tortured and controlled throughout this entire stay of execution and yet she knew better than to underestimate the fallen angel. She’d had those thoughts before, _it couldn’t possibly get any worse_ , but the Dark Lord’s cruelty knew no bounds. Images of Adam flashed in her mind - of her lover’s severed head presented on a platter. But Adam’s death was not enough for Lucifer, not only was she to witness his gruesome end but was forced to consume his roasted corpse. Her lover had been a simple mortal, no threat of power to his kingdom, and if that was what he did to the unimportant well… she swallowed thickly, preparing for what might happen to her. 

As Lucifer stumbled to his feet, Lilith matched the movements quietly, as best as she could in her current condition. She found her hand gravitating to her bump, hands protectively placed under the crescent as she stood. 

“L-Lucifer…?” she whispered; her enquiry barely audible. 

His head snapped in her direction, suddenly remembering her presence. At first confusion laced his eyes but they quickly darkened towards her; anger boiling beneath the surface. 

She held her breath as his legs seemed to find their purchase storming fiercely towards her, any side effects to the attack vanished in his dominance. 

“You!” He growled. 

She opened her mouth but words failed her. 

“What in Heaven are you playing at Lilith?” He shouted.

Biting her lip nervously she tried to think of something, anything, but what could she say? Lilith had no idea what had happened. So consumed with hiding this from the Dark Lord, too afraid of the consequences, she had no plan for how she would talk her way out of this if it ever was discovered.

“Care to _explain_?” He hissed grievously through his teeth. 

“Well, I… erm… I’m not entirely sure-.” She confessed, hating that she had nothing here to play. 

“Do not lie to me! _”_ He spat. “How _dare_ you not inform me of this!” 

“It’s… it’s nothing.” 

“Liar! You cannot deceive the Great Deceiver; you know better than that Lilith. This - is - _not_ \- nothing.” He growled the last sentence slowly, drawing out every word. 

Staring down at her, Lucifer’s eyebrows twitched, daring Lilith to lie to him again. She hesitated. Her throat was raw, heavy breaths drying out her mouth, a tongue like sandpaper against its roof. She had attacked the Dark Lord, thrown him feet into the air with unfamiliar power, whether it was subconscious or intentional she didn’t know. Lilith loathed him; had pictured his death a million different ways, but in every plan she had been in control and his demise was a success. She would never have risked making a move against Lucifer if his death was not guaranteed - the game was too dangerous. What happened here was chaotic, unplanned, reckless…. and it wasn’t enough - he still walked, still _breathed_ , now fully aware of all that she’d been hiding. 

“Well… I did _warn_ you.” Lilith stuttered, deciding defiance was her best play. He did not have to know she couldn’t control these new powers; a new type of magic might be enough to reconsider his instinct to kill _if_ he thought she was powerful enough. 

“I will not be your concubine again.” She threatened. 

The sound of Lucifer's maniacal laughter rang ominously off the walls. 

“Oh Lilith, are you challenging me? You are gravely overestimating your abilities my dear.” 

“I’d say the bruises and cut lip I just gave you tell a different story.” Lilith squared up to him, raising a single eyebrow daringly. 

“How absurd you are! Your delusional notion of self-importance is blinding. Contrary to your beliefs, this has _nothing to do with you._ I had a right to know, I am his father!” 

“What!?” She blurted out, confused. There was something dwelling inside her, a new magic, the consequences of which were surely hers to pay…?

“The _power_.” His lips twitched psychotically and eyes widened in glee. Hands cupping her bump delicately, Lucifer crouched down so his eyeline met her rounded stomach. “My boy. Any child of mine was bound to be powerful, true, Sabrina is a skilful witch I suppose but she is tied to her womanly emotions. Not this little chap, already so strong, the sheer power he possesses and _from the womb_. How glorious!” 

It was a good thing the Dark Lord was no longer standing as her expression revealed every ounce of confusion running through her mind. He was… _pleased_? Lilith was sure this power would be seen as a threat to Lucifer, that she would be blamed and punished for it. It took Lilith a while to catch up, to realise the Dark Lord thought this power belonged to their son - it wasn’t hers to wield and therefore she was no threat. 

“How long?” The Dark Lord’s serious tone brought Lilith back to the conversation. “How long has this been going on?” His eyes still focussed on her middle, mesmerised at her belly like a magpie fixed upon a reflective surface. 

“What?... Oh, it’s a relatively _new_ development. That has... never happened before.” It technically wasn’t a lie, whilst she knew there was a power inside her this evening's events had certainly never been displayed before now.

“And _I_ got to witness his first display of power. Excellent.” Pride spilled from his lips. Lucifer’s fingers softly traced over the taught fabric over her bump, as if he could make contact with the energies inside. “And he’s alright in there? My son is healthy?” 

Lilith was briefly taken aback, shocked at the open concern the Dark Lord showed for the well-being of someone other than himself. 

“Yes.” Her role of expectant mother coming back a little too easily. “I had a routine check-up with Miss Spellman earlier today. All is well with... our son.” 

She tried to forget how the appointment with Zelda had ended, of the uncertainty the Directrix had placed in her mind over the gender of this child, but she couldn’t stop the anxieties from filling her thoughts. She started to sway, suddenly feeling lightheaded. Stumbling slightly, Lilith attempted to steady her balance before her legs could collapse again. All this talk of their _son_ , the male heir… she was drowning in her doubts. The room was swirling around her in the candlelight. Lucifer could see through her lies… but she wasn’t lying - she knew this baby was a boy, she could _feel_ it. But what if it wasn’t… 

Strong hands were suddenly on her shoulders, carefully steadying her. Lilith hadn’t noticed the Dark Lord had risen and was now looking very curiously towards her with concern. 

“He’s really done a number on you hasn’t he? Here, come sit down.” 

A gentle hand snaked its way round her waist and guided her towards a chair. Her feet moved as instructed but she didn’t know why she obliged. What was happening? What game was he playing? 

As she sat in the chez lounge Lilith realised just how drained she felt; the floor went in and out of focus while the white noise in her ears continued to whistle. Lucifer sat next to her, the added weight on the joining cushion rocked the seat making her dizzy. Bending slightly over her knees she drew in a long, slow breath. 

“What have you been eating? The magic is intense and we need to keep your strength up.” The concern sounded foreign on Lucifer’s tongue. 

“Why do you even care?” She breathed.

“I care for my son. Don’t be mistaken Lilith, this is not about you. But while you carry the heir inside you, you hold certain… privileges.” 

Despite her ailing body the temptation to bite back at Lucifer’s remark was too strong. Her lips rounded on another deep exhale to quell the dizzy spell before she responded. 

“Locking me up and forcing yourself on me hardly constitutes a privilege!” She snapped with as much venom as she could muster.

“Your continued existence is evidence of my generosity. But I am all too aware that for my son to grow in strength you must also be taken care of. Since he is already showing signs of promise, your health must be preserved. We need to nurture my son’s power, strengthen it, _feed_ it. Plenty of raw meats will aid his development - thymus glands are a beneficial delicacy in pregnancy and plenty of human pancreas. The _tenderest_ organ of them all.” 

The last meal Lucifer had presented to her had been Adam - roasted and seasoned with a side of potatoes and vegetables. Her favourite meal had been ruined that night and she’d not consumed male flesh since. 

* * *

“Move, damn you.” Lilith cursed to herself staring intently at the empty glass on the coffee table. 

Sitting alone in her chambers the First Witch lent further forward, as much as her rounded stomach would allow, to get as close as she could to her intended target. 

It was true she did not know much about the energies that had taken root inside her, of their properties or origins, but all magic could be wielded - if one only tried. It had become a new daily routine for Lilith, spending hours upon hours trying to tap into her new abilities, and today was no different. The Dark Lord was convinced the magic belonged to his son, that Lilith was simply a host suffering in the display of power, but Lilith refused to accept that - she felt intrinsically connected to it. Squinting, Lilith focussed all her might towards the crystal tumbler on the table, _willing_ it to move. 

As the glass began to wobble Lilith could feel the magic within her, tingling her nerves and every cell across her skin, but it seemed distant - ever so slightly out of reach as if trapped behind a window, if only she could unlock it. She strained trying to draw the power to the surface, not realising she’d held a breath, her hands delicately moving in front of her to hold the empty space beyond her chest. The glass wobbled, its movements increasing - unsteady and erratic - it was _working_. Suddenly the glass shot across the varnished table towards her, instinctively her nimble fingers caught it before it could launch off the edge and onto the hard floorboards. 

“Yes!” She smiled, releasing her breath with relief. 

Bringing the crystal to her lips she emptied the remaining water sitting at the bottom which had gradually warmed in the fiery room. Placing it back down on the table in its original location, Lilith began to repeat the challenge for the umpteenth consecutive time. 

Since the evening with Lucifer the magic within had grown; Lilith was now unafraid to allow its presence and to try and actually harness it. Whether the enhanced magic was simply a consequence of her acceptance of it or Lucifer’s new gruesome diet for the expectant mother, she didn’t know, but the feeling of strength made for a thankful change. Additionally, it seemed pregnancy had significantly changed her taste buds and Lilith’s new meals of offal and organs did not repulse her as much as her heart wanted it to. The nutrients contained in the raw meats she consumed surprisingly had their benefits - allowing not only a quick recovery from her altercation with Lucifer but also gaining some sense of magical control. The energies she could pull were minimal compared to the display that night, but the power was starting to respond to her and practice would be key. 

Sitting on the edge of her chair Lilith leant forward again, eyebrows squinted, focussing her magic once more on the glass. Blue eyes staring, hands out, breath held. Desperately she drew the magic to the surface but was pulled out of her concentration when she felt a twinge in her stomach and a soft jab to her kidneys. 

Inhaling through her teeth with a hiss, she placed a hand to the sore spot on her bump and rubbed soothingly. “Sit still.” Lilith scolded. “We need to control this; unstable magic is no use to anyone.” 

Returning to the task at hand, Lilith resumed her focus on the glass and started drawing again on the power. Barely a second passed before the child gave another sharp kick hooking a foot in her rib. 

“Ouch! Alright, alright. I get the message.” She joked, lowering both hands on her stomach and giving up on any further practice today. “Besides, at the rate you're resting on my bladder, it is probably time for a break.”

Heaving herself up from the chair Lilith held the small of her back as she waddled to her bathroom; a place she visited all too frequently in these later stages of pregnancy. After she’d finished and washed her hands, she caught her reflection in the bathroom mirror and allowed herself a moment to really _look_ at this body. There were remnants of bruises on her neck, tinged with yellow and faded purple marks where Lucifer’s fingers had squeezed. The events that night escalated so quickly; lines were crossed and boundaries broken. It didn’t bear thinking about what would have happened if the magic hadn’t appeared throwing the Dark Lord far across the room. The babe had intervened, quite literally _protecting_ her, and stopped his father from violating her. Was this child perhaps on her side? 

Her hands circled her rounded stomach and she looked in the mirror at her changed figure; with one hand resting atop the curve the other underneath pulling her dress tight to highlight just how large this dome had become. Inside her body was a life, new life, one that already showed such personality and power. There was a sort of wonder about this whole process which Lilith had never previously stopped to consider or appreciate. Before now all her children were monsters born of pain and by dark magic, but this was different. It was… natural… feminine… strong, and it was fascinating that new life could be grown in this way and what her body was capable of. 

She felt the baby move inside her, stretching out in the confined space, and she could see the movement roll across her stomach. 

The readjustment prompted a smile from the First Witch. She told herself her enjoyment of the babe’s activity was simply because it meant her life was still secure, but in truth she found some reassurance that she was never really alone now with the child resting in her womb. A child that was capable of taking on the Dark Lord even before he was born. She imagined briefly what he would grow to become and hoped she would be around to witness it. 

“I guess you’ve had a busy day as well, perhaps it is time for a rest.” She affectionately spoke to her swell, allowing herself these moments with the child while no one was watching. 

Lucifer would be preoccupied with the infernal court for the rest of the day meaning Lilith could safely take a nap undisturbed. Returning to her chambers, Lilith still held her stomach as she manoeuvred into a comfortable sleeping position atop of the covers, moving the pillows around her bump and between her thighs for support against her ever-aching muscles. 

* * *

Time passed differently in Hell. There were no clocks, no daytime and night-time as the mortals lived by - only the constant burning flames across the infernal kingdom. Though they did abide by similar eating patterns giving the same illusion of a singular passing day. 

Those days seemed to blur together for Lilith; losing track of how many had passed between her altercation with the Dark Lord but also since her last appointment with Miss Spellman. 

Sitting at the elongated table with the Dark Lord, the pair tucked into their food as they did most evenings. The sound of cutlery against bone china filling the awkward silence. Lilith was now ‘allowed’ to eat her meals with Lucifer, although choice was not an option and she knew it was simply a way to monitor and ensure her new diet was being followed. Still, she didn’t mind. At least by eating her meals with the Dark Lord there was no chance of another gruesome trick by the Plague Kings against her food. They would never be so bold. 

“How is my son today?” Lucifer asked casually whilst aggressively stabbing his food and proceeding to chew loudly. 

“Very active.” Lilith confirmed with a slight grimace and a half-hearted smile. Her hand travelled to her bump automatically. 

“Good. Good.” Lucifer mused. “Has he displayed any further powers I should be aware of?” 

The nature of the conversation appeared light, of two soon-to-be parents discussing their child, but the weight of his words held a threat hidden in the casual tone. The reminder of her previous deception hanging in the air. 

“Nothing to note, Dark Lord. He has shown nothing beyond what was displayed to you.” Choosing her words carefully, ensuring that truth was spoken. Lilith had been accessing the powers but that wasn’t the question which had been asked. 

Lilith sliced through the blooded organ on her plate, placing a slippery piece of meat onto her fork and eating it nonchalantly; confirming she was playing by all his rules and giving him no cause for concern. He seemed preoccupied with the running of Pandemonium of late, less interested in tormenting her, but the questions surrounding his son were never far away. 

“I told you that would help,” Lucifer gestured to Lilith’s meal with a wave of his fork “you seem… healthier. Which means my son is getting all the nutrients he needs to grow stronger.” 

Lilith simply hummed in agreement. The meat certainly was a benefit to her and provided strength both physically and magically, but she was not prepared to fully acknowledge that or give any credit to her captor. 

“You have another appointment with the Spellman witch soon I expect. Be sure to update me on his development.” 

“Of course, Dark Lord.” Lilith confirmed. His words were clearly a demand rather than a request. 

Lilith was appreciative for the reminder of her next midwife appointment - so consumed with practicing new magics that she’d lost all sense of time. Any thoughts of the Directrix brought back too much anxiety over the child’s gender so Lilith had blocked out all association with the appointments to stay strong and focussed. 

The following day however, when Miss Spellman arrived back in Hell, Lilith was forced to confront the issue; knowing she had the results of the test with her. 

“How have you been Lilith?” Zelda asked casually as they both entered the brunette’s chambers. 

Quickly walking around the room, Lilith rearranged the collection of glasses and candles which had been used for her magical practice - not wanting the Directrix to discover what she had been doing. 

“We’re fine, thank you.” Lilith dismissed whilst casually ‘tidying up’. 

Zelda stood still, arms folded, watching Lilith carefully. “I’ve never known a woman to be _fine_ in their fourth trimester. You’re nearly 11 months pregnant with the spawn of Satan Lilith, you can be honest with me you know.”

“Would you prefer to listen to my ever-growing list of aches and pains, that the child kicks all night preventing any sleep, that I haven’t seen my feet in months and I’m still trapped in this nightmare forced to carry the - how did you put it - _'spawn of Satan’_? Or perhaps you wanted to braid each other’s hair and talk about boys?” 

“There’s no need to be like that.” 

“Well, I’m in no mood for chitchat.” Lilith lashed out, her sharp tongue an old habit if anyone got too close. “Shall we get on with it then?” 

“As you wish.” 

The hostility between them was almost as uncomfortable as this pregnancy. As Lilith lowered herself onto the bed, struggling to lie in the usual position, she could see the Directrix bite her lip to stop an offer of help from being uttered aloud. 

“Has there been any change, anything unusual I should be aware of?” Zelda asked as she began her external examination of Lilith’s stomach. “I’m not making conversation, before you bite my head off, as midwife it’s imperative I know what is happening with the child.” 

Lilith rolled her eyes. Pushing her head deeper into the pillow and avoiding eye contact with Miss Spellman, she stared up at the ceiling. Should she tell Zelda about what happened with the Dark Lord? The magical display had been powerful; it might have affected the child - it might be important. But she didn’t want anyone knowing what he almost did to her, what she used to let him do… she couldn’t tell her what had happened, she didn’t trust Zelda to keep anything to herself. 

“Lilith?” Zelda questioned, bringing her mind back to the present and out of the horrible replay of that night. “Is everything ok?” 

“Yes, yes.” The First Witch dismissed. “Nothing to note, apart from him using my bladder as a punching bag.” Lilith tried to lighten her tone, to reassure the midwife everything was normal. 

Zelda laughed, though more out of social obligation and clearly not buying Lilith’s nonchalant attitude. “That is to be expected. As the babe gets ready for birth, it will drop into the right position and you’ll find it puts a bit more pressure on your bladder.” 

Lilith’s blue eyes widened. “Birth? No, no. We are _not_ there yet; I’ve got at least two more months before he arrives.” 

The panic wasn’t very well hidden in her expression. Lilith hadn’t formulated a plan yet - how to ensure she would stay alive after her son was born. She needed as much time as possible to secure her survival.

“Of course, don’t worry, you’re not ready just yet.” Zelda reassured calmly. “But babies can start to engage from around this point, it’s all perfectly normal. You’ll find you can breathe better when baby drops but the pressure will just move to a new location, I’m afraid.” 

“Great.” Lilith responded sarcastically, hiding her relief at Zelda’s assurance the birth was not immanent. 

The midwife continued her examination; measuring her rounded stomach, listening to the heartbeat, and pressing and poking her skin from all angles. Lilith moaned behind pursed lips as Zelda pressed a little too hard. 

“Sorry. All done now.” Zelda removed her hands and replaced Lilith’s clothes back over her bump. “Not engaged yet, tucked up nicely towards your rib cage, so nothing to worry about. Here-“ Zelda offered a hand to pull Lilith upright. 

Once sitting on the edge of the bed, Lilith subconsciously rubbed the sore spot where Zelda has pressed. “How is he? Is everything alright?” She asked, thinking about the potential side effects of the magic. 

Zelda began putting her equipment back in her bag, almost ignoring Lilith’s question. “Yes, erm… the babe, the babe is fine. Nice and strong heartbeat, very active as you know, a healthy child it seems.” 

The midwife sounded anxious, extremely out of character, and it was unnerving. Lilith watched as she busied her hands with her medical equipment but once everything was packed away, they started twisting awkwardly in front of her chest. 

“I do have some news though.” Zelda said delicately. “I have the results of the test.” 

Lilith’s lungs clenched. She had tried to forget, assuming Zelda had not brought it up because there was nothing to say, yet as the words hung in the air Lilith felt sick. It had to be a boy; she could feel it, her magic had _ensured_ it. She needed to produce a male heir - her life quite literally depended on it. Lilith took a deep breath through her nose to prepare herself before responding. 

“And…?” Lilith whispered, terrified of the answer. 

Zelda sat carefully on the bed next to the expectant witch. 

“I’m sorry Lilith - it’s a girl.” 

“No!” Lilith gasped desperately. 

It can’t be. Zelda was wrong; this child was a boy. It had to be. Hearing those words aloud shook her to her very core; she couldn’t breathe, her heart stopped, her stomach dropped. Struggling to take in oxygen her chest heaved up and down erratically as her mind refused to accept the information. 

“I’m so sorry Lilith.” Zelda repeated. “I know how important it was to have a son.” 

“Important!?” Lilith scoffed. This wasn’t just a hope, a wish, her entire plan revolved around providing a male hair for the Dark Lord. Otherwise, she never would have put herself through all this. 

“Are you… are you quite sure?” Lilith whispered, teetering on the edge of despair. 

“Yes, I’m afraid so. I repeated the test a dozen times to be certain - You are carrying a daughter Lilith.” 

The redhead next to her offered a hand, attempting to hold her own supportively. Emotions were fast approaching the surface, her lower lip trembled and Lilith struggled to keep her walls from crumbling. Pulling her hand away out of reach Lilith abruptly stood from the bed. 

“Get out.” Lilith ordered, turning around to the midwife. 

“What?” 

“I’d like you to leave.” Lilith asked forcefully. 

“You don’t have to do this alone Lilith; we can help you.” 

“I don’t need your help Zelda Spellman. Now leave. _Please_.” Tears stung her eyes as she begged the Directrix to go, salt water threatening to spill from her lower lashes. She needed to be alone, she needed space to think. 

No further protest was uttered by the midwife; picking up her equipment bag, Zelda silently left the room, the wooden door closing heavily in its frame. 

Once alone Lilith’s defences came crashing down all around her. A trembling hand ran across her face catching the tears that were free falling. 

A girl. 

In a single moment, everything had changed. What was she going to do? The Dark Lord had finally stopped tormenting her and started to show concern, only for the child, but her life had become that little bit easier with the promise of a powerful son. As he anxiously awaited his heir the Dark Lord was in a much more manipulative state - but that wouldn’t last once he found out what she was carrying. 

Lilith sat back on the edge of the mattress almost collapsing in shock. Lucifer already had a daughter - he wouldn’t want another, especially after everything Sabrina had done to fight and defy him at every turn. A wave of nausea swept across her at the thought of what he might do to this child, her hand covering her mouth to contain her queasiness. 

The threat of her execution suddenly seemed the least of her worries; the Dark Lord would surely kill this baby the moment he found out it was a girl. Would he even let her take her first breath before he snuffed out the new life or would he kill Lilith before the baby could be born? Lilith had been so preoccupied with her own survival, the child was never the one under threat, but now… now it was about more than just her. 

She looked down to her rounded stomach at the new life that she was growing, her hands were cradling the expanse with her thumbs rubbing soothingly over the stretched fabric. “I’m sorry.” She whispered. Lilith felt the familiar fluttering inside as the babe gently moved in response. 

This child had protected her against the Dark Lord; 

No one had ever been on her side before, 

No one had ever protected her before.

This child was no longer safe.

 _Her child_ was no longer safe. 

Lilith took a steadying breath as she made a decision;

She couldn’t let anything happen to this baby,

She _wouldn’t_ let anything happen to her _daughter_. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading. I'm hoping with this chapter update I can break the 2k hit mark :)  
> Many thanks to the lovely people who've recently discovered this fic and left me some wonderful comments as they've read through - it means the world and totally brightens my day. It was also super motivating and really helped get me back writing this story again - thank you. 
> 
> Also a shout out to my gorgeous Weirder Sisters; thanks for getting me through P4, for putting up with my nonsense and for being the biggest supporters of this fic. I don't know what I'd do without ya.


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